The Princess's Prophecy
by Emmie0928
Summary: What if your prince is really the villain?
1. Chapter 1

**I should not be starting this before _After the Fairytale_ is finished, but I got the idea into my head and I couldn't help myself. _After the Fairytale_ is nearing its end though, so I might not update this until I finish with that (at least that's what I'm telling myself). Think of this as a little sneak peek. With this story, I'm continuing my trend of completely turning a fairy tale on its head. This story is completely separate from_ After the Fairytale_ though, so if you haven't read that, it will not at all affect your understanding of this one. Also, this story is going to be a lot darker than _After the Fairytale_, so beware of that.**

* * *

"Your Majesty," a raspy voice echoed throughout the cave. "What can I do for you?"

King Triton squinted into the darkness, unable to make out anything but a fuzzy shape in the distance. "Come out where I can see you, Seer."

From deep within the cavern, a mermaid emerged. She was clearly old and her long gray hair flowed behind her in the water. But her skin was smooth and wrinkle-free, giving her the appearance of being both elderly and youthful at the same time. If King Triton didn't know that she was in fact centuries old, he would have a hard time figuring out her age at all.

"Why have you summoned me?" she asked, staring past him with murky white eyes.

He cleared his throat and clutched his trident tighter. There was something disconcerting about her. How did someone who was blind manage to see so much? "My wife is with child," he said.

"I know," the Seer replied. "I foresaw it many moons ago."

"I wish to know," he continued, "if I will finally be blessed with a son?"

The queen had already bore him six daughters and although he loved them all dearly, he wished desperately to finally have a son.

"It is not to be," the Seer replied. "At the seventh hour of the seventh night of the seventh month, the queen shall bear another daughter."

The king tried not to look disappointed. "I see," he murmured, turning to leave. "Very well then."

"Wait," the Seer hissed.

He turned back around and nearly gasped. The Seer's white eyes had started to swirl violenty, like two small hurricanes. She reached out and gripped his arm tightly. "I foresee great danger," she whispered, her voice deeper and gruffer than before. "The kingdom of Atlantica will be in grave peril in eighteen years' time, threatened by humans led here by her. The seventh princess will unknowingly bring about the demise of the kingdom and of our race by falling in love with a _human_."

The Seer shuddered, her entire body shaking. She closed her eyes, still clutching the king's arm. When she finally opened them, they had returned to their normal state.

King Triton stared at her, his fear preventing him from saying anything. Finally, after what felt like hours, he managed to speak. "What am I to do?"

"You have to two options," the Seer said. "First, you can end the child's life before it has begun."

He shook his head. "I cannot," he said hoarsely. "Though it is tempting, she is my daughter and I must spare her."

"The other option is this," she said. "You must keep her here, under the sea, forever. Never let her see the light of day. If she ever comes into contact with humans, we are all doomed."

"Will that work?" he asked. "If you have prophesized our demise, will it not have to come true?"

She shook her head. "We have the power to change our fate," she murmured. "Nothing is ever set in stone."

* * *

The kingdom of Atlantica was abuzz with excitement. Today was the day of the presentation of the new princess, Ariel. A giant party was to be thrown in her honor at the palace and the kingdom's most elite mer-people were invited to dine with the royal family and shower the new baby with spectacular gifts. Everyone else would gather outside the castle's gates and wait for the king and queen to emerge with Ariel, allowing the kingdom to catch their first glimpse of princess.

The king sat at the end of the table. His gaze swept over his guests, too many to count, finally landing on his wife. She sat to his left, looking as beautiful as she had the day her married her. If one did not know, he thought, one would have no idea that she had given birth merely two days prior.

"How is Ariel?" he asked her, taking a bite of his kelp salad.

"She is asleep in the nursery," the queen said. "The nanny will bring her and the other girls down as soon as we are finished with our meal."

He nodded absentmindedly, turning to the merman who sat on his other side. "Misenus," he said, "I heard that your wife recently bore you your first child."

"'Tis true," Misenus said. "A healthy young boy named Marsious."

Triton nodded thoughtfully. "I have a proposal for you, Misenus."

"And what is that, Your Majesty?"

"I wish for my youngest daughter and your son to be betrothed."

Misenus' eyes widened. "You do?"

"Yes," the king said. "Your family is a fine, reputable one. It will be a good marriage, I think."

"Is this wise?" the queen asked. "We haven't arranged any of our other daughter's marriages. And besides, you've always said that you believe one should marry for love."

"I am doing what I think is best, Athena!" King Triton said sharply.

His wife fell silent.

The king could not tell her what was truly on his mind. He did not want her to know about the prophecy. It would worry her too much. Besides, it was never going to come true. He would see to that. The Seer had said that Ariel would fall in love with a human, but he would never allow it. This betrothal was one of the ways he was keeping her safe, keeping her here. If she married Misenus' son, she would have all the more reason not to stray upwards toward land. Besides, he saw no reason why she would not fall in love with Marsious. He would make sure they were pushed together as often as possible throughout their childhood. They would grow to care about her and then love would bloom. Yes, he was sure of it. He settled back in his seat, a satisfied grin settling across his face. His kingdom would be safe.

* * *

"Your Majesty!" a frantic voice hissed in his ear. "Your Majesty, wake up!"

King Triton's eyes popped open. The court composer, a crab named Sebastian, was perched on his chest, peering down at him.

"Sebastian!" the king exclaimed, sitting up. "What in the world are you doing?"

"I was walking by your wife's room on the way to my own," he said, "when I heard her coughing. A terrible, hacking cough. I went in to see if she was all right, but she wasn't, Your Majesty. She was coughing up blood. I awoke the court doctor. He is with her now, but you must come quickly."

The king scrambled out of bed. "Is she going to be all right?" he asked, as he swam toward the door, Sebastian scuttling along behind him.

The crab's face was grave. "The doctor says it does not look good for her, Your Majesty."

* * *

Ariel was gathered with her sisters at her mother's bedside, staring down at the lifeless body in front of them.

"Daddy," the four-year-old murmured. "When will Mommy wake up?"

The king placed his hand gently on her shoulder. "She is not ever going to wake up, dearest one. She has gone to be with the angels."

"What's an angel?" Ariel asked, peering up at him with wide blue eyes.

"Hush, Ariel," her oldest sister, Attina, scolded. "Now's not the time for questions."

Ariel placed her hands on her hips and glared at her sister. "Don't be bossy, Attina. Just because Mommy is never waking up doesn't mean you get to order me around instead!"

The king gazed fondly down at his youngest daughter. She was a feisty little thing. He could already tell she was going to cause more trouble than the rest of her sisters combined, a fact which worried him immensely. Out of all seven of his daughters, she was the one he most had to keep under control. The fate of the kingdom depended on it.

He sighed, reaching down to clasp his wife's hand. "My dearest Athena," he murmured. "What am I to do without you?"

* * *

"Ariel, wait up!"

Eight-year-old Ariel kept swimming, silently urging her sea-green tail to move a bit faster.

"Ariel!" the voice said again. "Your dad said that you had to let me come with you!"

She stopped swimming and spun around. "Go away, Marsious!" she snapped, her hands on her hips. "Stop being so annoying all the time!"

The sandy-haired boy ignored her, swimming a bit closer. He smiled smugly at her, crossing his eyes and sticking out his tongue.

"Go away!" she repeated.

"You can't make me," he said, he said, his orange tail flipping back and forth through the water.

She sighed in exasperation, knowing he was right. Marsious was bigger and stronger than her and, as hard as she had tried, she had never been able to beat him in a fight.

"Fine," she muttered. "You can come."

He grinned triumphantly, his aqua-colored eyes twinkling with amusement. "I knew you'd give in, Ari."

"Don't call me that!" she told him for what felt like the millionth time. "You know I hate when you call me that."

"I know," he replied, smirking at her. "That's why I do it."

She rolled her eyes and began to swim away. Marsious may have been stronger than her, but she was faster. Nevertheless, he managed to catch up with her as they reached the end of the coral reef on the outskirts of the kingdom. She was pleased to hear, however, that he was panting slightly.

"Wait," he said, grabbing her arm. "You're going out into open water?"

This time it was her turn to smirk. "Scared?" she taunted.

"No!" he exclaimed, staring out at the great expanse of water with wide eyes. "I've just never been out in open water before."

"Really?" she asked. "You mean you've never left the reef?"

He shook his head.

"Why not?" she asked. "There's so much to see out there!"

"My parents said that it isn't safe," he said.

"My father says the same thing," Ariel replied. "But he doesn't think anything is safe. I just ignore him. Can you imagine if I actually stayed cooped up inside a castle all day with my sisters like he seems to want me to? I think I'd lose my mind."

Marsious glanced over his shoulder, his gaze settling on the kingdom in the distance. "It's not such a bad place, Ariel."

She turned around, floating lazily as she stared at the place she'd called home her whole life. Her family's castle—shiny and magnificent—rose high above all else. It was made of gold and stood out easily in comparison to everyone else's coral homes.

"It's not all there is," she murmured. "I want to experience everything, Marsious."

As Marsious contemplated this, she grinned mischievously. "Come on!" she said. "I'll race you to the top!"

"The top?" he asked. "Are you joking?"

She shook her head. "Nope! There's someone up there I want you to meet!"

"You mean you've been up there before?" he asked, shocked.

She merely laughed in response, already swimming upwards toward the surface.

"Ariel!" he whined, swimming after her. "Wait for me!"

* * *

When they had almost reached the surface, he extended his arm and grabbed on to a section of her long red hair. He tugged as hard as he could and she screeched in pain, coming to a stop and glaring at him. He passed her easily and broke the surface before she did, pumping his fist victoriously as she popped up beside him, venom in her eyes.

"You cheated, Marsious!" she snarled.

"Yup!" he agreed, pleased with himself.

She muttered something under her breath, but he wasn't paying any attention. He was too busy taking in everything around him. There was water going on for miles in every direction, but off in the distance, he could see land. He had never seen land before. He tilted his head up, feeling the sun's heat beating down on his face, and smiled contentedly.

"I knew you'd like it up here," Ariel said. Her anger seemed to have dissipated, perhaps dried up by the sun.

Above them, a flying creature was circling.

"What's that?" he asked curiously.

"A seagull," she said. "It's a type of bird."

He stared at her in awe, almost asking her how she knew so much, but then thinking better of it. He didn't want her to know that he thought she was smart.

The seagull spotted them and dove down, landing on a bit of jagged rock that peaked out of the ocean. Ariel quickly swam over to him and Marsious followed.

"Hello, Scuttle!" she said brightly, resting her forearms on the rock and grinning up at the bird.

"Hello, Ariel," he greeted her, fixing his gaze on Marsious. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Marsious," she said. "He's _not_ my friend. My father just insists on my spending time with him. I have yet to figure out why. He's obnoxious."

Scuttle eyed Marsious suspiciously. "Can he be trusted?" he asked.

Marsious rolled his eyes. "Trusted with what exactly?" he asked.

"I have something to give Ariel," the bird replied. "Something no one else can find out that she has, especially her father."

"You have another gift for me?" Ariel squealed with delight. "Oh, Scuttle, you're the best!"

Marsious watched with interest as the seagull pushed aside s few small rocks and picked up a small object. It didn't look like much to Marsious. "What is it?" he asked. "It doesn't look so special."

"This, my narrow-minded friend, is a doohickey."

"What does it do?" Ariel asked, looking a lot more enthusiastic than Marsious felt.

"Humans use it to make markings on paper," Scuttle replied. "They just hold it in their hands and press down. Apparently it can be used as a form of communication."

"Wow," Ariel murmured, her eyes wide with fascination. "That's so interesting."

Marsious rolled his eyes. "I think of a million things that are more interesting than that, Ari."

She slapped his arm. It stung and he flinched slightly, immediately hoping that she didn't notice. "Shut up!" she snapped.

"Children!" Scuttle exclaimed. "Control yourselves, please."

Ariel reached out and took the doohickey from the bird. "Thank you, Scuttle."

"It's my pleasure, Ariel," he said, flapping his wings and rising into the air. "I'll see you around, yeah?"

"Yeah!" she agreed. "Hopefully next time without _him_." She elbowed Marsious hard in the ribs and he retaliated by jabbing her hard in the side with his fingers.

"I hate you!" she hissed.

"The feeling's mutual!" he replied angrily, diving under the water and swimming as fast as he could to get away from her.

* * *

**So there it is, chapter one of Ariel's story! What did you think? Should I continue?**


	2. Chapter 2

It was the middle of the night and twelve-year-old Marsious couldn't sleep. He could hear whispers coming from the living room. His father and someone else whose voice he could not place. He got out of bed and swam over to the doorway of his bedroom, peering around the corner. His father and King Triton were sitting in large coral chairs, deep in conversation.

"When are you planning on telling them?" Marsious' father asked. "They deserve to know."

"They are not yet old enough," the king said dismissively.

"With all due respect, Your Magesty," his father replied, "I think that the sooner we tell them the better. Ariel and my son will only resent us all the more the longer we keep something as huge as their betrothal from them. It's been arranged since they were born! Isn't twelve years long enough to keep silent on such an important matter?"

Marsious almost let out an audible gasp, but managed to cover his mouth with his hand just in time to prevent it. He and Ariel were betrothed? He was going to have to marry _her_? Gross!

King Triton stroked his long, white beard. "My dear Misenus," he said, his voice grave, "I understand what you are saying, I truly do. But I fear that as soon as I tell Ariel the truth, she will start asking questions. She will want to know why I arranged her marriage and not any of her sisters'. And what am I to tell her? That she must marry a merman so that she does not seek out the love of a human? That there is a prophecy that her love for this human will bring about the destruction of our kingdom? I cannot tell her these things."

"So what are you going to do?" Misenus asked sarcastically. "Spring it on her the day of the wedding? Happy Eighteenth birthday! By the way, you're getting married!"

"I will tell her soon enough!" the king snapped. "I just need to think of the best way to tell her first, is all."

Marsious felt light-headed. He backed up slowly, the two men's voices growing fainter and fainter. Falling back onto his bed, he stared up at the ceiling, trying to wrap his mind around what he had just heard. He and Ariel were betrothed. They were betrothed to keep her from falling in love with a human. The king was worried about this because there had been a prophecy that this would destroy the kingdom.

"Damn," he whispered softly. That was certainly a lot to take in.

* * *

Ariel picked up the strange object Scuttle had given her earlier that morning. He said that humans used it to clean their teeth. She ran her fingers over the bristles, wondering what good they could possibly do. She set the object down, next to the broken clock and the chipped tea cup, and gazed upwards. She'd discovered this place a couple years ago. It was a large cave with hollowed out walls that made perfect shelves. Every human treasure she obtained, whether it was from exploring a sunken ship or receiving a gift from Scuttle, she put in here. There were still many empty shelves, but her stash grew more and more every day.

The light that poured through the top hole in the cave was suddenly dimmed. She glanced up and gasped in shock when she saw that someone was peering down at her from above.

"Hey, Ariel!" a voice called. "I have something to tell you."

She breathed a sigh of relief. It was only Marsious. It wasn't that she particularly wanted to see him, but at least it wasn't her father or someone who would tell her father about this place.

He ducked into the hole and began to swim downwards, coming to a stop when he reached the bottom where she was floating.

"How did you find me here?" she asked. She had never told anyone about this place. She couldn't risk it.

He ignored her question. "I overheard my dad and your dad talking last night," he said. "And let's just say that it was quite enlightening."

"What were they talking about?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

He looked around the cave casually, taking in his surroundings and not answering her question. "What is this place anyway?" he asked.

"It's just a place where I hide my treasures," she muttered in reply.

He lifted an eyebrow, a smirk spreading across his face. "Your treasures?" he repeated. "This junk isn't treasure, Ari."

"Don't call me that," she growled through gritted teeth. "And it is to me!"

"Why are you so obsessed with humans anyway?" he asked. "It's so strange."

"Go away, Marsious!" she snapped.

"Okay," he said slowly, beginning to swim upwards. "But I thought you wanted to know what our fathers were talking about last night. It did after all concern you, after all. And me."

"What were they talking about?" she asked. "Tell me!"

He stopped swimming. "We're betrothed," he said, amusement in his eyes. "They've been planning it since we were born."

Her eyes widened. "Are you messing around with me, Marsious? Because if you're lying about this, I swear I'll—"

He chuckled. "Trust me, Ariel. It's the truth."

"Why do you seem to think this is funny?" she asked. "This is horrible!"

"I'll admit I wasn't thrilled when I found out," he said, "but now that I'm here and I'm seeing the look on your face, I'm realizing that it's not entirely bad."

Her eyes narrowed. "You're okay with marrying simply because it annoys me?"

He laughed again and she had to clench her hands into fists to stop herself from smacking the smug look off his face.

"Being married to you won't be all bad," he said. "Yes, you're annoying, but you're also pretty damn beautiful."

Ariel felt her face heat up. This was the first time a boy had called her beautiful. It was a monumental moment. Too bad it was ruined by the fact that it had come from stupid Marsious.

"I'm not going to marry you!" she snapped. "I don't care what my father says!"

"He sounded pretty serious about it, Ariel."

"But why?" she exclaimed. "None of my sisters are being forced to marry against their will."

"I don't know," he muttered, dropping his gaze.

She squinted at him suspiciously, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth. Did he really not know?

"But you're going to have to marry me whether you want to or not," he continued. "There's no way you're going to get out of this one, Ari."

She groaned in frustration and pushed past him, swimming upwards until she was out of the cavern and then continuing on until she broke the surface. She could see the shoreline off in the distance. It was far away, but she desperately wanted to see it up close. She'd spent years gazing at it, yearning for it, but she'd never actually made the journey to see it for herself. She ducked back under the water and began to swim, faster than she ever had before. If she was going to make it to the shore and back home before dark, she was going to have to move very quickly.

* * *

A boy stood at the edge of the ocean, the waves lapping at his bare feet. "Eric!" he called to another boy in the distance. "Nanny says to come inside immediately. It's time for tea!"

Eric scowled and began to make his way towards shore. Moments later he emerged from the ocean, shaking the water from his shaggy black hair. "I can't wait until we're old enough to be rid of that old hag," he muttered. "I hate being told what to do. I'm fifteen years old, for God's sake."

The boy rolled his eyes. "Stop whining so much."

"When I said I didn't like people telling me what to do, I especially meant my little brother," Eric said, but his tone had changed to a playful one and he grinned as he gave the boy a slight shove.

The two of them took off running down the beach, toward the castle that they called home.

"Andy, wait!" Eric called a few minutes later, skidding to a stop and peering curiously out at the ocean. "Do you see that?"

"See what?" Andy asked, shielding his eyes from the sun as he gazed out over the water.

"That girl out there," Eric said. "She's over by those rocks." He pointed. "See?"

"Oh, yeah," Andy said. "I see her now." The girl had long red hair and looked to be about his age, which was twelve. "So what?"

"She has a tail," Eric murmured, still staring at her.

Andy let out a bark of laughter. "A tail? Eric, are you mad? You sound like those drunken sailors down by the docks who are always going on about mermaids."

"I saw a tail, I swear," Eric said. "I'm not mad. It was there."

Andy rolled his eyes and began to walk away. "Whatever you say," he called over his shoulder. "I'll just tell Nanny you're late because you've gone mental from inhaling too much saltwater into your lungs and have started hallucinating."

Eric watched as his brother disappeared from sight and then redirected his gaze back toward the girl. She wasn't looking at him and so he crept a bit closer, determined to catch a glimpse of her tail again. He had seen it. There was no doubt in his mind.

A moment later, the girl dove underwater, her tail flipping up in the air and then disappearing into the ocean with her.

Eric stood rooted to the spot, stunned. All those old sailor legends were true after all. Mermaids were real. A smile spread across his face. Imagine if was able to prove their existence. He was already going to be king someday, but such a feat would surely solidify him as one of the most legendary monarchs the kingdom of Reissa had ever seen. Still grinning smugly to himself, he began to trudge back toward the castle. It had been a magnificent place to grow up, built right into the cliffs that bordered the sea. And someday—when his father was finally out of the way—it would all belong to him. The castle. The kingdom. Everything.

* * *

Later that evening after dinner, Eric wandered into the library. He scanned the hundreds of titles carefully, grabbing any that sounded as if they would have information on mermaids. Sitting down in an old armchair by the fire, he opened the biggest one first and blew the dust from its yellowed pages. It was an old collection of sailor's legends. He skimmed over the first few, finding nothing of interest. But the fourth story, titled simply "The Sea Witch" caught his eye. The witch herself was not a mermaid, but the legend said that she had once been. But she had betrayed the kingdom and the king himself had exiled her. Having been born with magic that few mer-people possessed, she was able to change her appearance at will and had transformed her tail into octopus tentacles. She lived alone in a cave a few miles from the kingdom. She was immortal and had spent centuries making deals with mermen and mermaids, giving them whatever they wanted in return for whatever she desired. It was said that only the most desperate sought her out because her near-impossible bargains were well-known amongst the kingdom. If one could not meet his or her end of the deal, she would transform him or her into a small, helpless plantlike creature. It was also said that once every four years, she would transform her appearance into a human one and make her way to shore. Then and only then could the rare human who knew of and believed in her existence seek out her help. There was a chart that took up one whole page in the book, chronicling every date that the witch would come to shore over the next few centuries. Eric was disappointed to see that the next date was not for nearly four more years. He shut the book and stared into the fire. It was a good thing he was willing to wait.

* * *

**So I know I said I wouldn't update this story until I finished After the Fairytale, but I have no self-control. BUT THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN! To the reviewer who asked why this story is rated M instead of T like After the Fairytale, the answer is that this story will be a lot darker. As you can probably already tell, the Eric in this story is nothing like the Eric we all know and love from the Disney movie. **

**As always, don't forget to review!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Ariel, wake up!"

Ariel groaned, covering her eyes with one arm and swatting at whoever was disturbing her sleep with the other. "Go away!"

"Ariel, it's your 16th birthday!" the voice exclaimed, pushing her arm aside and poking her in the shoulder. "You need to wake up so we can get you ready."

Ariel opened her eyes, squinting up at her sister Andrina. Andrina was the second youngest of King Triton's daughters and therefore the closet in age to Ariel.

"Ariel," her sister said. "Your party starts in five hours! You need to get up!"

"Five hours?" Ariel repeated. "I have plenty of time! Let me get some more sleep, Andrina. Please."

"If you weren't out so late doing heaven knows what, then you wouldn't be so tired," Andrina replied, grabbing the end of her little sister's tail and tugging. "Now get out of bed!"

Ariel sighed, allowing her sister to pull her up. It was true that she had been out late. She had discovered an old ship wreck some miles away from their kingdom and had spent hours exploring it, collecting many treasures to take back to her secret cave.

A face peeked around the corner of Ariel's bedroom. It was Adella, the third oldest of Ariel's sisters. "Ah, Ariel," she said, swimming into the room. "I see Andrina has awoken you. Are you excited?"

Ariel sighed again, staring longingly at her bed. "Excited about what?" she asked.

"Your party, silly!" Adella replied. "And turning 16." She clasped her hands together, gazing up toward the ceiling dreamily. "I remember when I was 16," she murmured. "There was this boy…"

"That's how all your stories start," Ariel grumbled. "There's always a boy."

"She's right," Andina said. "You're boy crazy, Adella."

Adella crossed her arms over her chest and pouted, looking very much like a five year old instead of a 20 year old. "Am not!"

"Yes, you are," Ariel replied.

"Well, you're one to talk," Adella replied. "Always off with that Marsious boy doing God only knows what."

"That's not true!" Ariel retorted. "I can barely stand him!"

"Then why is he accompanying you to your party as your date?" Adella asked. "The two of you are going to dance the first dance together and everything."

"That's Father's wish," Ariel replied. "You know that he wants us to marry someday."

Adella's gaze softened. "He's a nice boy, Ariel. You could do a lot worse."

Ariel knew that was true. She _could_ do a lot worse. But she didn't want to settle. She didn't to be stuck in this kingdom forever with a husband she didn't love. She wanted to explore. She wanted to learn. She wanted to experience new things. She wanted to find out what it was like up there. She wasn't like her sisters. That had always been obvious to her. She wasn't content like they all seemed to be, content to sit by and let life happen around them. No, she wanted to be a part of something. A part of that world, the one up there.

But for now she could do nothing except follow her sisters out of her bedroom and allow them to get her ready for her 16th birthday party.

* * *

"You look pretty."

Ariel glanced up. "Oh," she said. "It's you."

Marsious frowned, crossing her arms across his chest. "Gee, Ari. It's nice to see you too."

"Get out of my room, Marsious!" she snapped.

"I can't," he replied calmly, swimming over to her bed and sitting down beside her. "I'm supposed to be fetching you. Your party is about to start and we're supposed to dance the first dance together. Remember?"

She rolled her eyes. "How could I forget?" she muttered.

He fixed her with a cocky grin, his sandy hair flopping into face. "Face it, Ariel. You can't resist me."

"Yeah, right, I think—"

She didn't get to finish her sentence because suddenly Marsious leaned over, pressing his lips against hers. She froze for a moment, totally caught off guard. Then she came to her senses and pulled away, slapping him across the face.

"What the hell are you doing, Marsious?" she hissed. "Have you lost your mind?"

Marsious clutched his cheek for a moment and Ariel felt smug. She hoped her slap had stung.

"We're going to be married in two years, Ariel," Marsious replied. "Don't you think it's time we started kissing?"

"I've told you this a million times!" she snapped, "I'm not marrying you!"

"Face it, Ariel," he said, his voice still frustratingly calm, "you are. Your father will make sure of it."

"I do not care what my father says," she replied. "I will not marry a boy who only wishes to be with me for my looks."

Marsious's eyes narrowed. "When did I say that?"

"When we were 12," she replied. "It was the day you found me in my cave and told me we were betrothed. Don't you remember? You said marrying me wouldn't be so mad because I am, and I quote, "pretty damn beautiful."

"Are you really holding me to something I said when I was 12 years old?" he asked. "I was a dumb kid."

"You're still a dumb kid!"

"Yeah, well, so are you!" he replied. "But Ariel, I can assure you that I have much more reason for wishing to marry me than simply your beauty."

She lifted an eyebrow, unable to control her curiosity. "And what is that?"

"Your attitude," he said simply.

"What does that mean?" she replied, exasperated.

"I mean, you've got spunk," he said. "You're stubborn and not afraid to stand up for yourself. Quite frankly, you're a pain in the ass."

"You want to marry because I'm a pain in the ass," she said flatly.

"Yes!" he exclaimed. "All my life I've watched my mother bend to my father's every wish and command, no matter what. I can only assume that before she married him, she had her own personality. But I've never seen any evidence of one. It's sad, really. Their relationship made me sure of one thing; I absolutely do not want a submissive wife. I want a wife who's full of life and opinions and isn't afraid to voice that opinion. I want a wife who'll slap me when I'm being stupid." He paused, his aqua-colored eyes meeting hers. "I want you, Ariel."

Ariel's heart sped up. Never in her life had she ever thought she could be feeling what she was currently feeling for _Marsious_. She had the sudden urge to reach out and run her fingers through his blond hair.

"I…I…" she stammered, for once at a loss for words.

"Shhh," he murmured, leaning in again.

This time, when his lips met hers, she didn't pull away. She simply let him kiss her. She let him stick his tongue in her mouth, which was surprisingly not as gross as she always thought it would be. In fact, it was actually not gross at all. He leaned forward, pushing her back against her bed. Her hands tangled in his hair as his entire body pressed against her.

She remembered a conversation she's had several years ago with her oldest sister Attina. Attina had explained to her that her virginity was a gift, a very precious gift that she was not to give away to anyone until her wedding night. At the time, she hadn't thought that would ever be a problem. But now, as Marsious moved his mouth to her neck and began trailing kisses downwards, it occurred to her for the first time that perhaps that wouldn't be as easy as she had once thought.

_This is crazy_, she thought. Earlier today, she could barely stand being in the same room as Marsious. Now she was pinned beneath him, letting his hand slip under her purple seashells, contemplating what it would be like to give him her precious gift! Though she was sure her father would readily agree that she should wait until her wedding night, she couldn't help but feel she was playing right into his plans. If she continued down this path, there was no doubt she end up married to Marsious, stuck here in Atlantica for the rest of her life. And that had never been in her plans! She was not about to compromise her life's ambitions just because a cute boy who liked her for her personality put his tongue in her mouth. That would be ridiculous!

"Marsious, stop," she said, pushing on his chest.

He rolled off her. "Sorry, got a little carried away" he muttered. "We should get going. I'm surprised no one's come looking for us yet."

"I can't!" she exclaimed, sitting up.

He looked at her strangely. "Can't what?"

"Go to my stupid birthday party," she said, swimming over to her vanity and peering in the mirror. Her sisters had done her hair up into some sort of complicated, braided updo. It was half coming undone already, thanks to her activities with Marsious, and she yanked the rest of it out, running her fingers through her long red hair.

"Why not?" Marsious asked.

"Because I'm done going along with my father's plans for me. You said yourself that you like that I'm not afraid to have my own opinions and do what I want. So surely you understand, Marsious. I can't do this anymore. I can't marry you. I don't belong here. I belong up there."

_This is not good_, Marsious thought. He had been telling the truth when he'd spoken of his admiration for her independent nature. But he knew the prophecy. He knew that Ariel going up to land would only end in disaster for their whole kingdom. He couldn't let her go.

"Ariel, wait," he said, scrambling out of her bed and swimming over to where she was floating. He grabbed her arm. "This is ridiculous. You don't even have legs. How exactly are you planning on living up there?"

"There are ways to get legs!" she replied, yanking her arm away from him.

His eyes widened. "Surely you don't mean…"

"Yes, Marsious. I can ask Ursula."

"The Sea Witch?" he stammered. "Ariel, don't be an idiot!"

Her eyes flashed. "Don't call me an idiot!" she hissed.

She turn and swam out of the room. Marsious quickly followed her. There was no way he was letting her make a deal with Ursula. He'd heard what happened to those who could not keep up their end of their bargains with her. She turned them into little plant-creatures. She had an entire garden of them; hardly anyone could do as Ursula required. Only the most desperate sought her out.

* * *

"Well, well, well, look who's home."

Andy grinned up at his older brother as he stepped through the front door. "Hello, Eric."

"How was your trip?" Eric asked, as the servants disappeared with Andy's bags and left the two of them standing alone in the foyer of the castle.

At 16-years-old, Andy was still attending boarding school in a city on the other side of the kingdom. His summer holiday had started in June, but he had gone to Italy with his parents for a month. Now it was July and he was back. His parents were still abroad, touring the rest of Europe. The kingdom was experiencing an extremely peaceful, prosperous time and the king did not seem concerned about being away for long periods of time. He left Eric in charge, claiming that it would be good practice for his future. Eric certainly didn't seem to mind. Andy had always thought he seemed a bit power-hungry.

"It was nice," Andy replied. "I'm glad to be home though."

"It's certainly been a while," Eric agreed.

Andy nodded. "Haven't been here since Christmas."

Eric was 19 and therefore finished with school. He had decided against going to college, which was peculiar for a future king, but their parents had allowed it because…well, because they'd always let Eric do whatever he wanted. Andy couldn't help but think that it would have helped if Eric had been told no more as a child.

"Well, I'll see you later for dinner," Eric said, slipping past his brother and heading for the door.

"You're leaving?" Andy asked. "Where are you going?"

Eric grinned, looking positively gleeful about something. "There's something I need to take care off."

Andy frowned. That didn't sound good. He'd always gotten the feeling that Eric was up to something. He spent so much of his spare time in the library, pouring through books about mermaids and old sailor legends and other silly things. And he was always out on fishing boats, talking with the crew. Andy was pretty sure it had all started that day four years ago when Eric had been convinced the girl they'd seen out in the ocean had a tail. It was very strange, but he never said anything. Confronting Eric about anything never went well.

He watched his brother disappear out the door. With a shrug, he pulled the door open and stepped outside as well. There was someone he was dying to see.

* * *

**So weird question, but does anyone have any idea how mermaids would have sex? Or give birth?** **I don't actually need to know any of this for my story, but it was still something I was thinking about. **

**Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter! Please review!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

Eric knew the Sea Witch was supposed to come onto land sometime that day, July 7th. And after spending years researching and talking with sailors about the legends of the sea, he even knew where she could be found. The problem was that he didn't know the exact time of her arrival. He would just have to wait. It was still pretty early in the morning and he could only hope he wouldn't have to wait too long.

He made his way down to the harbor, climbing aboard one of the fishing boats.

"Is everything in order?" he barked at the captain, a grizzled old man named Schmitt.

"Ay, Your Highness," Schmitt replied with a nod. "We can set sail now if you'd like."

Eric nodded impatiently. "Yes, yes. Hurry up."

"Right away, sir," the captain muttered.

Schmitt turned away and moved toward the helm of the ship, gripping the wheel. He began shouting orders to his crew and soon enough the boat began to move.

Eric leaned over the railing of the boat, staring out at the water. Reissa was a coastal kingdom and its main industries were shipping and fishing. Consequently, Eric had spent much of his life out on the water. He knew his way around a ship and was a skilled helmsman. He could easily be steering the boat right now if he wanted to be.

School had never interested him. The private tutors his parents had hired for him when he was younger had all been incompetent fools and he had passed all his classes at his boarding school with ease. He found that he learned much more teaching himself, whether it was by reading or by going out and actually experiencing the world himself. He would choose the open sea to a classroom every time. That was why he had chosen not to go to college. He knew there was nothing there for him to learn that he didn't already know or he couldn't learn easily in the real world. He had learned all his most valuable information about mermaids and the magical legends of the sea while talking with sailors and he knew it would serve him well. He couldn't wait for the day he could finally prove to the world that mermaids did indeed exist.

A drop of rain fell from the sky, hitting him on the nose. He glanced up, noticing for the first time how dark the sky had gotten.

* * *

"Ariel, come back!" Marsious shouted, as he rounded a corner, just in time to see her disappear out the door of the castle.

He followed her outside, pushing himself to swim faster. Why did she have to be so quick?

The farther they swam, the darker and emptier the ocean became. Marsious had no idea where they were or where they were headed. He wasn't sure how Ariel even knew where the Sea Witch lived.

After what felt like hours, but was probably actually less than one, they reached a cave. The water around them was dark and murky. Marsious couldn't see a single sign of life anywhere except the two of them; not even the smallest of fish wanted anything to do with this place.

Ariel slowed down, coming to a stop at the entrance of the cave. Finally, Marsious was able to catch up to her. He doubled over, trying to catch his breath. He hated that Ariel didn't seem the least bit enervated.

"Is this it?" he asked, straightening up and staring inside. It was much too dark to make out anything, but he felt a chill ran down his spine anyway. There was something very spooky about this place, something dangerous.

Ariel ignored him. To his utter horror, she began to move forward. He quickly grabbed her arm. "Ariel, no!" he hissed. "This is crazy!"

She yanked herself from his grip, turning to acknowledge him for the first time since they had left her bedroom. "Don't touch me!" she snarled.

He felt himself growing more and more frustrated. Why was she doing this? What was so incredible about land and humans that she was willing to risk everything? Why couldn't she just be content to stay here with him?

"You didn't seem to mind when I was touching you earlier!" he snapped. "In fact, I think it's safe to say that you quite enjoyed it."

"Yeah, well, everyone's allowed to make a mistake every now and then," she replied haughtily, tossing her long hair over her shoulder and surveying him disdainfully.

"Don't even try to write off what happed between us as a mistake," he said. "You were moments away from begging me to take you right then and there."

She let out a gasp, looking affronted. "I was not!"

"Yes, you were," he said, moving a bit closer to her. To his surprise, she didn't back away. "And I would have rocked your world, Ari."

She let out a sharp laugh, but he could see her cheeks turning pink. "Yeah, right."

He smirked when her voice quivered. "Are you doubting my capabilities?"

"Entirely."

"I've never had any complaints," he murmured.

"Shut up, Marsious!" she exclaimed. "I know you've never…you know."

He laughed. "Come on, Ariel. I think you're old enough now to be able to use the word sex without being embarrassed."

"Fine!" she snapped. "I know you've never had sex!"

He lifted an eyebrow, grinning at her cockily. "How do you know? I don't tell you everything, you know."

"You…you have?" she stammered, her face flushing.

"Nope," he replied. "I just wanted to see how jealous you got when you thought that I had."

"You're an ass!" she hissed, her hands moving to her hips as she glared at him. "And I wasn't jealous!"

"You know you were, sweetheart."

"You're impossible!" she snarled. She turned back around and began to swim into the cave.

Marsious followed her inside, swearing under his breath. He squinted into the darkness as they swam. The ground was covered in some kind of brown seaweed. He looked closer, letting out a startled shout when he realized the plants were looking right back at him with wide, desperate eyes. These were the mermen and mermaids who Ursula had punished for not keeping up their end of the bargain.

Ariel turned, looking annoyed. "What's wrong?"

He gestured downwards. "They used to be merpeople, Ariel. They used to be like you. Don't throw your life away like they did. It's stupid and unnecessary."

She glanced down, her look of determination seeming to falter for a moment as the plants reached out towards her, begging for her help. But then straightened back and crossed her arms definitely. "I have to do this, Marsious! I'm sorry, but I do."

With that, she turned and continued swimming. He sighed heavily, knowing he had no other choice but to keep following her down the long passageway.

Moments later, they emerged in a huge, circular room. At the other end sat large chair. It looked almost like a throne. But Ursula was not sitting in it. In fact, she was nowhere to be found.

Ariel let out a frustrated groan.

"Well, gee," Marsious said, "I guess she's not home. That's too bad. Guess we better get back to the castle."

Just as he was turning to leave, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He spun around. From the shadows emerged two eels.

"Well, well, well," one of them said.

"What do we have here?" the other continued.

"Two young merpeople, a long way from home."

They were circling, their eyes roaming up and down Marsious and Ariel hungrily.

"But was it you seek?"

"Are you star-crossed lovers?"

"Looking for a way to finally be together?"

"I wish to see the Sea Witch," Ariel said, her voice shaking.

"She's not here right now, dearie," one of the eels replied.

"But she'll be back within a day or two," the other added.

Disappointment flashed across Ariel's face. "Oh," she muttered. "Well, that's okay. I'll just come back then."

Marsious grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the exit. "Let's get out of here, Ariel. Now."

She didn't protest and, to his surprise, she didn't let go of his hand once during their entire journey home. They swam side by side the entire time, fingers entwined, not saying a word. It wasn't until they reached the outskirts of the kingdom that she slipped her hand from his. He watched helplessly as she began to swim upwards. "Where are you going?" he called after her retreating figure.

"I'll come back!" she shouted back. "I just need to be up there right now."

He sighed, turning back towards the kingdom, back towards the place they both belonged.

* * *

A knock on her bedroom window startled Clarissa. She hopped off her bed and ran over to it, pushing back her curtains. Andy stood on her balcony, grinning broadly. She smiled back, throwing open the window. He stepped inside, immediately pulling her into his arms. She buried her face in his chest, breathing him in.

"I thought you weren't coming back until next week," she murmured into the soft fabric of his shirt.

"Change of plans," he replied, cupping her chin and lifting her face up to his. She sighed into his kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck.

There was a part of her that was surprised whenever Andy showed up at her house when he was home from school on holiday. This thing between them had been going on for two years, since they were 14 years old. He had been the first boy who had ever paid any attention to her. The first boy who had ever made her feel pretty and special. The first boy who had ever kissed her. The _only_ boy who had ever kissed her. But he was a prince and she was nobody. Yes, her parents were wealthy aristocrats, but Clarissa knew there were plenty of girls out there better suited for him. Although he was not the heir to the throne like his brother, she knew he had to have girls throwing themselves at him left and right. He and Eric did not have much in common, except for two things: They were both exceptionally handsome and they were both very aware that they were exceptionally handsome. The jealous, self-conscious part of Clarissa couldn't help but assume that she was just a fun distraction for him when he was at home. He probably had plenty of other girls waiting for him when he returned to school, girls who went to all-girl school that was located near his all-boy school. Girls who were prettier than she was. Girls who weren't saving themselves for marriage like she was.

"Are your parents home?" he murmured into her ear.

She shook her head.

"Good," he said, picking her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he carried her over to the bed.

He set her down and she lay back, gazing up at him as he kicked his boots off and climbed on top of her. His hips dug into hers as he pressed hot kisses against the base of her throat. She could feel the evidence of just how much he wanted her pressing against her. She moaned, her fingers tangling in his hair.

The thing about Andy was that when she was with him, she always ended up going farther than she meant to. It wasn't that he ever pressured her into doing something she did not want to do. No, he had always been a gentleman. When she had told him that under no circumstances would she be sexually intimate with a man until her wedding night, he had assured that was fine and he understood completely. But although they had never gone all the way, they had still done more than she knew they should have, especially considering they were not betrothed. In fact, they weren't really anything. She had no idea how to categorize their relationship. He was not courting her. If he was courting her, her parents would know about him and his parents would know about her. They would go on chaperoned dates and they would talk about the future. But they never did any of that. He'd never once even told her he loved her. She had never told him either. Not because she didn't love him, but because she feared that he didn't feel the same way. If he loved her, why wouldn't he tell her? Why would he be so determined to keep their relationship a secret from everyone? Was he ashamed of her?

His mouth moved to hers and she kissed him passionately, trying to clear her head of all those ever-present worries. None of it mattered right now, not when he was here with her, not when his hand was sliding under her dress and he was whispering in her ear how much he had missed her.

Right now, he was hers and she was his.

* * *

The boat was rocking furiously side to side. Eric stood on deck in the pouring rain, watching as the crew ran frantically about, trying to keep it afloat and navigate through the choppy waters. He knew he could help them—that he should help them—but he was too frustrated. He had waited four years for this day! If he missed his chance to meet with the Sea Witch and he had to wait another four years, he just might be angry enough to kill someone.

Suddenly, a large wave came crashing over the side of the ship. Eric and most of the crew were swept away into the ocean. He immediately grabbed onto a barrel that had fallen off the ship, desperately waiting for someone left on board to throw down a rope to pull him back on board. But, minutes later, an ever bigger wave hit and the boat capsized, dumping the rest of the men into the water. Eric desperately clung to his barrel as the waves crashed over him. He was being thrown in every direction. He couldn't see anything. He couldn't hear anyone. He was surely going to drown!

A huge wave it him and he lost his grip on the barrel. He felt himself sinking, sinking… He tried to swim upwards, but he was too tired, too weak. He was losing consciousness. Right before everything went black, he felt a hand grab him.

* * *

Eric opened his eyes, blinking as everything came into focus. He was laying at the edge of the ocean, where the water became only sand, staring up into the face of a girl. She had huge blue eyes and long red hair. He was sure he had seen her before. But where?

He slowly sat up, rubbing his head. The girl's eyes widened and she lurched backwards. "Wait!" he called. To his surprise, she did. She was sitting in the shallow water, her tail out in front of her. Suddenly he knew, she was the girl from four years earlier. The mermaid.

"Why are you here?" he demanded.

"This is where I want to be," she murmured back. "I want to be human like you."

Before he could reply, she was swimming back out to sea. He watched as she dove underwater, disappearing from sight.

One thing was clear—this mermaid, whoever she was, was extremely curious about the human world. It the only way to explain why she had risked everything just to be here, just to talk to him.

A smile spread across his face as he glanced up at the sky, trying to gauge the time. It was still afternoon. He just had to figure out a way to get to the island where the Sea Witch was said to be. Because now, after talking to that mermaid, he had a brilliant idea. And he would need the Sea Witch to set everything in motion. He needed her more than ever.

* * *

Ariel felt like an idiot. Why had she stopped when that boy had asked her to? Why had she let him see her tail, let him see what she was? Why had she spoken to him and told him her deepest desire? It was so stupid, so foolish. What Marsious say if he knew? What would her father say?

But he was so handsome. She had been watching while he was sailing around on his boat and when he had fallen into the water, she had immediately found him and dragged him to shore. When he had spoken to her, she wasn't thinking clearly. She just wanted to talk to him. She wanted him to like her.

She was so stupid.

And more determined than ever to become human.

* * *

The boat drew closer to the island and Eric leaned forward eagerly. To his utter delight, he could see a woman standing on the shore.

He had found a fishing boat that was willing to take him out to sea on such short notice and they had set sail immediately because the weather had calmed completely. Now here they were and there she was. Everything was falling into place perfectly. The ship anchored and Eric hurried down the ramp. The woman turned, watching as he ran towards her. She was beautiful, with dark brown hair that cascaded over her shoulders large brown eyes. She lifted an eyebrow as he came to a stop in front of her, gazing at him almost seductively.

"This is certainly a pleasant surprise," she murmured.

Her voice was raspy, but Eric liked it. It was sexy. Not like the other girls, the ones he'd grown bored with.

"And why is that?" he asked, his eyes sweeping over her.

She was wearing a tight blue dress and it hugged every curve tightly. Her breasts were practically straining to escape their confines. He would gladly help them with their mission.

"Normally the ones who come to find me are old sailors, dirty and stinking of booze, sometimes with a few teeth missing. Those are the types that tend to believe the legends, the ones who believe I exist. I don't think I've ever had someone as young and handsome as you come looking for me up here before. What's your name, hon?"

"Prince Eric," he replied.

She smiled. "A prince, huh?"

He nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Oh, Your Highness, please don't call me ma'am. I may be a few centuries old, but I certainly don't look it right now, do I?"

He shook his head. "Not at all," he murmured, gazing unabashedly at her chest.

"Call me Vanessa," she said. "That's what I like to go by when I'm up here."

"All right, Vanessa," he said. "I'd like to make a little deal with you."

"Of course you would, sugar," she said, holding out her arm. "Now why don't you take me on board that little ship of yours and we'll talk all about it."

He took her arm and led her onboard. They ignored the curious stares from the crew and they went below deck, into an empty cabin where they could talk in peace.

She sat down on the bed and he leaned up against the wall.

"Here's what I want," he said. "There's a certain mermaid. I don't know her name, but she's got red hair, blue eyes, and a green tail. I have a feeling she'll come looking for you soon in order to make a deal with you herself. She wants to be human and I'm pretty sure you're the only one who can make that happen. When she comes to you, I want you to give her what she wants. Give her legs. But here's the important part— I don't want you to take something from her in return at that time. I know you usually only come to shore every four years, but I also know you_ can_ come any time you want. So in a year, after I am happily married to this mermaid, I want you to come ashore and take it then. And I want you to give it to me."

"And what is it that I'm supposed to take from her?" she asked. "What is it that you need from her?"

He crossed the room, sitting down beside her on the bed. Leaning over, he whispered the answer in her ear. She leaned back, a small smile on her face. "My, my, that's a lot to ask. What shall I get in return?"

"King Triton's trident," he replied. "When I have control of the mer-kingdom and the king is powerless, I will make sure you get it. You will have power over all the seas."

"Well, that certainly sounds like a good deal to me," Vanessa replied. "Shall we sign the contract now?"

"Wait," he said. "I want more."

"I can give you more," she replied. "But you'll have to give me more in return."

Eric could think of nothing he had that he would be willing to give away and that the Sea Witch would find useful. But then a thought occurred to him and he smiled.

"Vanessa," he said, in his most charming voice. "You live all alone, do you not?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"You must be starved for company then," he said, lifting his hand and tracing it over the smooth skin of her arm.

"I am indeed," she replied, shivering slightly.

"When was the last time you had any…intimate connection with someone?" he asked.

She closed her eyes for a moment. "It's been much too long," she said. "It was when I was up here, of course. But, oh, it's been decades."

"Decades?" he repeated. "That's terrible."

Her bright red lips parted slightly as she gazed up at him. "Yes," she purred. "Would you care to remedy that for me? I could probably arrange that you get everything you want afterwards."

Eric smiled, leaning in. This had been too easy.

* * *

Afterwards, as Eric lay on the bed, with Vanessa curled up beside him, he couldn't help but grin widely. He supposed that he ought to be a little ashamed that he had basically whored himself out to get what he wanted, but he wasn't. In his mind, he had just killed two birds with one stone. He had gotten laid for the first time in weeks _and_ he had set is entire plan into motion. He couldn't help but feel extremely happy with himself. Then again, it was rare that he didn't.

He knew that the Sea Witch's true form was nothing like the one lying beside him right now. She was centuries old and had octopus tentacles instead of legs. But she looked stunning right now, so he didn't particularly care. Besides, he felt a bit smug. She was so old and had experienced so much. He was only 19, but he had still been able to make her scream his name, begging for more. Girls had always told him that he was skilled in bed, but this really proved it.

It was a damn good day, if he did say so himself.

* * *

**So between Marsious, Ariel, Andy, Clarissa, and Eric, there were a lot of hormone-addled teenagers in this chapter, haha.**

**Make sure you leave me a review! I like to know how many people are reading my stories. It gives me motivation to update more often!**


	5. Chapter 5

Marsious looked up from where he was sitting on Ariel's bed as she swam into the room. She let out a frightened gasp when she saw him and lurched backwards, her hands on her chest.

"You scared me, Marsious! What are you even doing in here?"

"I wanted to make sure you came back," he said.

"I said I would, didn't I?" she replied, crossing her arms over chest. "It's not like I could have stayed up there without legs anyway."

"But you're going to go see the Sea Witch in a day or two when she returns, aren't you?" he muttered. "You're going to leave and never come back."

She nodded. "I have to, Marsious. It's where I belong."

He let out a frustrated sigh, remembering what he'd heard her father saying about the prophecy four years ago. If she became human and went up to live on land, she was sure to fall in love with another human. If he let her go, he would be consciously allowing her to destroy the only world he knew.

"No, you don't!" he groaned, flopping back onto the bed. "You belong here." _With me,_ he added silently.

She swam over to the bed, and to his surprise, lay down beside him. "I met a boy up there," she murmured.

He gaped at her in shock. "What do you mean 'met'?" he asked. "You talked to a human?"

"He saw my tail," she replied. "I had no choice. Besides, he didn't even seem that shocked to see me. It was almost like he already knew that mermaids exist. He just asked me what I was doing there and I told him I wanted to be human. Then I swam away. That was it."

"God, Ariel," Marsious said, exasperated, "you can't just reveal yourself to a human. We can't trust them! That man could have very well taken you somewhere, locked you up, and performed experiments on you or something."

"I know it was stupid," Ariel said. "But he seemed nice enough. Nicer than you, at any rate."

He glared at her. "I'm nice!"

She rolled her eyes. "Marsious, you are many things, but nice is not one of them."

He smirked, scooting a bit closer to her. "Many things, huh? Like what?"

"Well," she said, her gaze roaming over his face and down his body. "You're not bad looking."

His eyebrows shot up. "Oh yeah?"

"Some might even say you're quite handsome," she continued.

"Would you be one of them?" he asked.

A blush spread over her face. "Maybe," she murmured, biting her lip. She was too damn cute.

"What else?" he asked.

Her gaze settled on his mouth. "You're a pretty good kisser."

"Do you want me to kiss you, Ariel?" he murmured.

She nodded. "Yes, please."

He rolled over, pinning her against the bed. "All right then," he said, lowering his face to hers.

* * *

It had only been a day since Eric had seen that mermaid again and made a deal with the Sea Witch, but he could already feel himself growing impatient. He'd been wandering around the castle for nearly an hour now, just thinking about everything. He'd waited four years to set his plan in motion and now that it had finally happened, he just wanted something else to happen. He wanted to be able to check off another step in his plan. He wanted that mermaid. Unfortunately, he didn't have her yet and he desperately needed something to take his mind off of everything. Or better yet, _someone _to take his mind off everything.

"Good evening, Your Highness," a voice said, interrupting his thoughts.

He glanced up. A maid was standing a few feet away, smiling at him. He studied her for a moment. She was young and pretty and wearing a bit more makeup than was necessary or normal for a housemaid. She was pretty generic; there was nothing about her face that he'd remember, nothing about her that set her apart from any other girl he'd been with. But at this point he was a bit desperate and he'd never been very picky anyway. As long as a person didn't look like a troll you'd find under a bridge, he'd probably sleep with them. They didn't even have to be female. He'd been with several men before, although they were obviously harder to find. The first time he'd been attracted to a man, he'd felt like a freak. He'd heard about it happening before—men who were intimate with other men—but he'd never witnessed it firsthand. It was something that was only whispered about. Nobody dared to be open about it. He'd gotten over his shame though. Hardly anything embarrassed him anymore. Though he still wondered if there were others out there like him—people who were attracted to both sexes. All the men he'd been with had only been attracted to other men.

"Good evening," he replied softly. "Are you busy right now, er…?" He trailed off, waiting for her to tell him her name (even though he knew he would forget it by the next morning).

"Nellie," she said. "My name's Nellie. And no, sir, I'm not.

_What an ugly name_, he thought as he gave her his most charming smile. "Well, Nellie," he said, "I was wondering if you might like to help me with something in my bedroom."

Her smile grew wider. "Yes, sir," she said. "I'd like that very much."

He led her down the corridor and up a flight of stairs. Pulling open the door to his room, he gestured for her to go in first. Girls loved things like that. They made them think that the man respected them, stupid things. Sure enough, she murmured a dazed-sounding "thank you," as she stepped inside.

Not surprisingly, she looked around his room with a look of delight and awe on her face. He watched her gaze sweep over the huge canopy bed with the silk sheets and velvet comforter, the crystal chandelier hanging above it, the expensive paintings on the wall with signatures even as someone as uneducated as a housemaid would recognize, and the huge glass doors that led out onto the balcony with a perfect view of the ocean.

"It's lovely," she whispered.

"Yes, yes," he muttered, trying to hide his impatience. He stepped closer to her, running his hands over the cheap fabric of her uniform. "Would you care to remove this or should I?"

The maid—what was her name again?—looked a bit surprised, as if she had expected him to woo her a bit before undressing her. Girls were all the same. They all claimed to want flowers and poetry and romance, but in reality they'd all give it up immediately to a man as long as he was rich and powerful enough.

"I'll do it," she said, quickly recovering from her shock. He watched as she pulled the dress over her head and let it fall to the floor. She stood there for a moment in her undergarments, shivering and looking a bit unsure of herself. He picked her up and carried her over to the bed. She lay back and he climbed on top off her. The rest of her clothes were quickly discarded and so were his. She seemed a little hesitant as he kissed her and he began to think that she must be a virgin who'd had a moment of forwardness that she was now regretting. But once he'd pushed inside of her, he quickly discovered that was not the case, and she soon became much more responsive and eager.

"Oh, Eric," she moaned into his shoulder. "You feel so good."

He froze, staring down at her with disgust. "What did you just call me?" he spat.

Her eyes widened. "I—I'm sorry," she stammered. "I just thought since, you know… since we were…I could call you by your name."

He let out a sharp laugh. "You think because I'm fucking you that you're somehow my equal?" he asked. "You think that a lowly housemaid can address the future king by his first name simply because she spread her legs for him?"

She didn't respond, but he could see tears welling up in her eyes. He rolled off of her, annoyed that she had ruined the moment before he'd had a chance to finish. "Get out of my room," he muttered.

She didn't move. "I'm sorry," she said again. "I wasn't thinking, Your Highness. It just came out."

"GET OUT!" he snarled, giving her a shove to illustrate his point. He pushed her harder than he intended to and she clearly wasn't expecting it because she fell right off the bed. She burst into tears when she hit the floor and looked up at him as if she expected an apology. He didn't comply, but he did stand up and gather her clothes, tossing them at her.

"Don't worry about your job," he said as she hurriedly dressed herself. "I won't have you fired. But consider this a warning. Don't screw up again."

She nodded, but didn't say thank you. Ungrateful bitch. He watched in disgust as she hurried out of the room. Now he would have to find someone else to satisfy his needs.

* * *

"I wrote you a song," Andy told Clarissa. "Would you like to hear it?"

Clarissa nodded eagerly. "Yes, very much."

She'd spent the entire day at the castle with him in his room, kissing and talking and laughing. She wished it could always be like this. She wished he wasn't always away at school, doing God know what with God knows who.

He hopped off his bed and made his way across the room to his grand piano and sat down. Clarissa sat up, watching him intently. Andy had always loved music. She knew his parents wanted him to go off to University to study government and economics and whatever else a prince was supposed to study. But she knew he wanted to pursue music seriously. But she also knew it would never happen.

He began to play and the music floated through the air, soft and lovely. She closed her eyes, letting it waft over her and pretending that it meant something more than it probably did.

"That was beautiful," she said, after he had finished. "I didn't realize you wrote songs about me."

"Well, of course I do," he said, standing up and walking back over to the bed. "Who else would I write songs about?"

"I'm sure you have plenty girls around when you're at school to inspire you," she muttered, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice.

He frowned. "No, I don't," he said. "You're the only girl for me, Lissa. You know that."

Now it was her turn to frown. "No, I don't know that. You've never said anything of the sort. You just show up at my house whenever you're home on holiday and expect me to be around to kiss you. I've never been under the impression that I'm anything more than a nice distraction for you when you're here. I'm sure you have plenty of girls to keep you company at school."

He looked offended. "What are you talking about? Lissa, I think you're confusing me for my brother. I'm not some kind of whore, you know. You're my girl. You're it for me."

She paused, letting this sink in. All her worries, all her self-conscious doubts—they'd all been for nothing?

"Does this mean that you're a virgin too?" she whispered.

His mouth fell open. "You thought I was sleeping with other girls? Jesus, Lissa, why the hell were you even bothering with me if you thought I was such a pig? Of course I'm a virgin. If I haven't been with you, I haven't been with anyone."

"I bothered with you because I like you," she said. "A lot. You're nice and smart and make me feel pretty. But I just always thought that there was no way I could be enough for you."

He cupped her chin, tilting her face up to his. "Lissa, that's stupid. Of course you're enough for me. I love you."

Her eyes widened. "You…you do?"

"Of course."

"Why didn't you ever tell me that before?"

He shrugged. "I was scared. It's not something I've ever said before. I don't even tell my parents I love them. Our family isn't the most affectionate. Besides, I wasn't sure if you felt the same way."

"Oh, Andy," she said. "I do, of course I do. But I always worried that _you _didn't feel the same way_. _That's why I never said it."

He smiled at her, but then his face grew serious. "Clarissa, I know we're only 16, but I know that I love you and that I want to be with you forever. I'm not going to propose to you right now because I know that our parents would freak out, especially considering they don't even know about us. But I do want to marry you someday. If you'll have me, of course."

"Of course I'll have you," she said, leaning into kiss him. "I love you, Andy."

After they had pulled apart, she glanced at the clock. "I need to be going," she said. "My parents are expecting me home for dinner."

She felt giddy as she left the room. Andy loved her. He _loved_ her! She could have broken into song and dance right then and there.

* * *

Eric stepped out his bedroom, letting the door slam shut behind him. Maybe he could find another slutty maid to sleep with, one that wasn't as dumb as the last one. The door of his brother's room opened and a girl stepped out. Eric recognized her. She was Andy's little toy, the one who wouldn't even let him fuck her. God, his brother was so stupid. He could get any girl he wanted. Why he was stuck on this one was beyond him. Sure she was pretty, with light, curly brown hair and porcelain skin. But there were lots of pretty girls out there, ones that weren't prudes.

Suddenly a thought occurred to him. There was no doubt this girl was saving herself due to some bullshit she'd heard repeated every week at church about purity and her wedding night. But the poor girl was probably sex-starved at this point. He was sure that if he whispered a few sweet things in her ear, she'd be begging him to take her. And he'd always thought there was something kind of satisfying about taking a girl's virginity.

"Clarissa," he called out, suddenly remembering her name.

The girl turned around, obviously surprised he was talking to her.

"Oh, hello, Your Highness," she said. "Can I, er…help you with something?"

He decided to just cut to the chase. He really, really just needed to get laid.

"It must get boring, doesn't it?" he asked, taking several large strides until he was face to face with her. "Waiting around for months and months for my brother to come home, letting him finger you a little, and then watching him leave again." He leaned down, putting his mouth against her ear. "I can show you what real pleasure feels like, Clarissa."

She backed away, looking affronted. "Andy and I are perfectly happy together, Your Highness. I have no intention of finding out 'what real pleasure feels like' until our wedding night."

She turned to leave, but he grabbed her arm. "Come on, love," he said. "You look like you could use a bit of excitement in your life. A pretty girl like you deserves more than boring ol' Andy."

"Andy's not boring!" she exclaimed, struggling to free herself from his grip. "I love him and he loves me."

"How precious," Eric drawled, not letting go. He kind of liked watching her struggle. It made him feel powerful. It made him want her even more.

He took several steps to the side, repositioning them so that he had her pressed up against the wall, trapped.

"Let me go!" she hissed.

"I don't think so," he said, running his hand over the soft skin of her arm. "You see, Clarissa, when I want something, I always get it. And right now I want you."

For the first time, he could see fear in her eyes. "Let me go," she said again, squirming frantically in a pathetic attempt to escape.

He laughed. "I already said no, didn't I?"

For a moment the fear in her eyes disappeared, replaced by a fiery anger. "You're a horrible person!" she snarled. "And someday you'll get what's coming to you!"

"I doubt it," he said simply, lifting up the hem of her dress.

* * *

The next morning, Marsious awoke to find Ariel swimming out the door.

He'd spent the past two nights in her bed. They hadn't done anything except some kissing and mild groping, but he'd stayed because she asked him to.

"Ariel, wait," he called after her.

She stopped, turning around.

"You're going to see _her_, aren't you?" he asked.

Ariel nodded and he felt a wave of nausea wash over him, knowing there was nothing he could do to stop her. It was what he'd always liked about, after all—her independence. She'd set her mind on leaving and he knew that she'd find a way to make it happen.

"Don't leave just yet," he muttered.

* * *

Ariel sighed. She knew everything would be a lot easier if she just took off now. The more time she spent with Marsious, the harder it would be to leave. But he was staring at her with those big aqua-colored eyes and without even meaning to, she found herself swimming back over to the bed.

They were kissing almost immediately, their hands roaming everywhere, exploring. She ran her fingers down the length of his torso, to the spot where his skin turned into scales. She wished she could just peel his tail away—as well as her own—and underneath discover that miraculously they both had legs. Then they could go and live on land together. She could get what she'd always dreamed about without ever having to give him up. But she knew it wasn't possible. Marsious would never willingly become human, not even for her.

"Stay with me, Ari," he murmured in her ear.

She shivered. It was the first time she'd ever liked the way the name Ari sounded. He'd called her that for years, but suddenly it didn't sound like a pesky nickname. It sounded like a term of endearment.

"Stay here and marry me," he continued. "I'll make you happy, I swear. I love you, Ari."

She pulled back slightly. "You do?" she gasped.

"I've always loved you," he whispered, lifting his head and kissing her jaw.

"No, you have not! I annoyed the hell out of you and you annoyed the hell out of me."

"No, I loved you, I swear," he said, kissing his way down her neck.

She decided not to press the issue. Instead she closed her eyes and imagined what it would be like to stay here and marry him like her father wanted. If he continued to make her feel like this, could it really be that bad? Maybe she could be happy as his wife. Because the more he kissed her, the less she wanted to leave. But she had to! This place had always stifled her. There was nothing down here for her. One kingdom in the middle of a vast ocean wasn't enough. She wanted to see the world. And the world was up there. She had to be up there. It was where she belonged. It was where she had always known she belonged.

She rolled off of Marsious, knowing she had to put a stop to this before she did something really stupid like give him "her precious gift." Because she knew if she lost her virginity to him, she really would never be able to leave.

"I have to go," she said. "Promise me you'll let me, Marsious. Promise me you won't follow me and you won't tell anyone where I've gone. You have to pretend you don't know."

"I promise," Marsious said.

* * *

Marsious knew that Ariel hadn't seen him crossing his fingers behind his back when he made his promise. It wasn't that he wanted to, but that he had to. That prophecy existed and if he didn't tell the king where Ariel had gone, everything they knew would be destroyed.

He swam past the guards, ignoring their shouted protests, and pushed open the doors to the throne room.

The king looked up. "Marsious!" he exclaimed. "What in the world are you doing in here?"

"It's Ariel, Your Magesty," Marsious replied, bowing quickly. "She's gone to see the Sea Witch. She plans to ask her for legs and go live up on land."

King Triton's eyes widened. "This is not good," he said. "Not good at all. Marsious, there is something you should know. It's about a prophecy—"

"I already know," Marsious interrupted. "I overheard you and my father talking about several years ago."

The king nodded. "Then you know that something must be done to bring her back."

"But what?" Marsious asked. "I know that Ursula has enchantments around her cave preventing you and your men from entering. And once Ariel is up on land, there will be no way to retrieve her. Your power is useless on land."

"There is a way," the king replied. "But I'll need your help, Marsious. How far are you willing to go to save her?"

"I'll do whatever it takes."

* * *

**I hope that its become excessively obvious that Eric is an actual worthless piece of shit. I do not want to read any comments on here like: "OMG TEAM ERIC 5EVER!11!1." I'm certainly not saying any of you leave comments like this, but I'm assuming that anybody who supports an abusive, rapist asshole would. I know you probably all loved Prince Eric in the movie (I did too!) but clearly this is a very different character.** **Anyway, thanks for reading and please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

"Where were you at dinner last night?" Andy asked the next morning at breakfast.

Eric shrugged. "I was just tired."

Andy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right. You were with another girl, weren't you?"

Eric smirked. "You caught me," he drawled. "I was with a girl."

He figured it would be best not to mention that girl was Clarissa, especially considering the not so consensual nature of the whole encounter. Andy wasn't smaller than him anymore and he wasn't sure which one of them would win in a fight.

"You're going to catch some sort of disease, did you know that?" Andy asked, taking a bite of toast.

"Well, we can't all be prudish virgins like you, Andrew."

Andy's eyes narrowed. "Shut up, Eric."

"It was a joke. Jeez, calm down."

"I'm perfectly calm," Andy responded. "But you've been acting very strange all morning. Really defensive or something."

"Are you going to see Clarissa today?" Eric asked, ignoring his brother's question.

Andy shrugged. "Yeah, probably. Why?"

Eric didn't reply as he turned his attention back to his food. He hoped that Clarissa didn't mention to Andy what Eric had done to her. Last night, he'd been rather confident that she wouldn't. After all, who would believe the claims of a random 16-year-old girl over the word of the future king? But now he wondered if that would stop her from telling Andy. Then again, even if she did, what could happen? He was practically untouchable. Andy would hate him obviously, but he could live with that.

"What about you?" Andy asked, interrupting his thoughts. "Do you have any plans for today?"

"No," Eric said and for once he was telling the truth. "I think I'm just going to go take a walk down by the beach after this."

* * *

After breakfast, Eric did indeed head down to the beach. The sun was shining brightly and even his distracted, impatient state, he couldn't help but notice that it was a beautiful day. His mood was improved even more when he noticed a lone figure standing at the edge of the ocean a few yards away. He was one of the youngest of his father's advisors, an earl who had recently inherited his title after the passing of his father. Though he was married to a woman, Eric knew plenty well that their marriage was one based merely on convenience, not on attraction or love.

"Good morning, Charles," he called out as he strode across the sand.

The earl turned, a pleased look crossing his face when he saw who was addressing him. "Hello, Your Highness," he replied, running his fingers through his wavy chestnut hair as he smiled cockily.

Eric came to a stop in front of the man and returned his smile. "I thought I told you to call me Eric."

Charles closed the small gap between them, leaning forward to whisper in Eric's ear. "I like calling you 'Your Highness.' It turns me on."

Eric let out a low moan as he felt the other man's arousal press against him. It had been ages since he's been with a man. "How's your wife?" he teased.

"Still fucking the gardener," Charles replied. "But the joke's on her, because I'm fucking him too."

Eric pulled back in surprise. "You mean your gardener is attracted to both men and women?" he asked.

Charles laughed. "Why're you acting so shocked, Eric? Aren't you the same way?"

"Well, yeah," Eric stammered. "But I hadn't realized there were other people like me."

"Oh, Eric," the earl replied. "Sometimes I forget you're only 19. There's so much of the world you have left to experience."

"You're not that much older than me," Eric replied, suddenly feeling defensive. He hated being treated like a child. He had hated it even when he _was_ a child. Back when he and Andy had nannies, he'd gone out of his way to make sure he made their lives as miserable as possible. He'd gotten as many of them fired as he possibly could (even though it only meant another one would be hired in her place). Sometimes he'd be able to convince Andy to help him, but then he'd always feel guilty afterwards and refuse to participate in Eric's schemes for a while. One of Eric's least favorite nannies had been a fat German lady named Helga. She was constantly monitoring his every move and every time he tried to do anything fun, she'd send him to his room. She was a stickler about bed time too, which Eric _despised._ The best things always happened after dark. So he'd lied and told his parents that Helga had inappropriately touched him while he was sleeping. They immediately had fired her, and the next nanny they hired let Eric and Andy eat candy before they went to bed. Helga had probably never gotten hired anywhere else considering what Eric had accused her of, but Eric didn't care. The stupid bitch deserved it.

He felt Charles's hand reach for the button on his trousers, but Eric grabbed his wrist and yanked it away. "Not here," he hissed.

Charles glanced around the empty beach. "There's no one around, Eric."

"Someone could walk by!" Eric exclaimed. "I can't be seen with you. It would ruin me."

Charles rolled his eyes. "Well, come on then," he said, grabbing Eric's hand. "Let's go somewhere more private."

* * *

Clarissa followed Andy into his room, trying her best to appear normal. She didn't want him to notice that anything was wrong. She hadn't been able to sleep at all the night before. She just laid there for hours, reliving what happened to her over and over again. The fear. The pain. And then the guilt had set in. She began to wonder if what had happened was somehow partly her fault. Maybe she led him on somehow. Maybe she didn't fight back hard enough. She'd contemplated telling someone about what had happened, but she'd decided against it. It wouldn't help. Eric would never see any consequences for his actions. He was the future king, for pete's sake. He could get away with murder if he wanted to. Hell, maybe he already had. She decided not even to tell Andy. Eric was his brother and she knew it would probably destroy their relationship. Or even worse, Andy wouldn't believe her. Or perhaps he wouldn't want her anymore because she was damaged goods. Yes, she decided. It was best to keep silent all together. She could get through this. She just had to try to forget. She had to try to pretend that nothing had happened. She had to pretend she was fine, perfect even.

Andy threw himself down on his bed, patting the spot next to him. Clarissa hesitated. It was strange, suddenly feeling nervous about laying down next to him. For two people who had never consummated their relationship, they spent a lot of time in bed together. Since neither of their parents knew about their relationship, it involved a lot of time sneaking into each other's bedrooms and the bed just seemed like the natural place to sit (or lay) together.

She timidly lay down beside him, putting as much space between them as she could without being too obvious. Andy reached out, trailing his fingers down her bare arm. Clarissa lurched away.

_"Let me go!" she hissed._

_I don't think so," he said, running his hand over the soft skin of her arm. "You see, Clarissa, when I want something, I always get it. And right now I want you."_

"Clarissa?" Andy asked, his blue eyes filled with concern. "Are you all right?"

_Eric practically dragged Clarissa into his room, locking the door behind him. She screamed, but he covered her mouth with his hand. "There's no one around to hear you," he whispered, his blue eyes mocking her. _

_She knew he was right. Andy had already gone down to dinner and there wouldn't be any servants around at this time. _

"I'm fine," she muttered hastily. "Your hand was cold, that's all."

Andy rolled over, pinning her against the bed. He felt heavier than usual, sweatier and stronger. She felt trapped. She tried to tell herself that it was fine, that everything was fine. She _wasn't_ trapped this time. Andy wasn't Eric. Andy wasn't Eric. Andy wasn't— but, oh, god, they certainly looked alike. The same wavy black hair. The same piercing blue eyes. But it was okay. They had the same eyes, but Andy's were only filled with kindness and love. They were nothing like Eric's empty, cold ones.

_He pinned her against the bed. She couldn't move. There was no way to escape. The horrible realization that this was real, that this was actually happening and she could do nothing to stop it, hit her like a ton of bricks. _

"_Don't," she murmured weakly, knowing it would do no good. "Please."_

_He laughed—a sharp, humorless laugh. "I don't think so."_

"Andy, don't," she said, pushing against his chest.

He rolled off her. "Lissa, seriously, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she insisted. "I just can't do this right now."

"Okay," he said. "That's fine. Do you just want to talk?"

She chewed on her fingernails, staring at him. Just being in the same room as him made her feel nervous and uncomfortable. She knew he'd never hurt her, but just the thought of being touched by anyone was enough to make her want to puke. Her stomach churned as she looked into his eyes. Why did they have to be so eerily similar to his brother's?

"Lissa?" he asked. "Did you hear me?"

"I…what?"

"I asked if you just wanted to talk," he said. "I'm getting the sense that something's on your mind."

"I can't do this!" she blurted out.

"We established that," he said. "That's why I'm asking if you want to talk instead."

"I don't mean kissing," she said. "I mean I can't do this whole relationship. I can't be with you anymore."

He stared at her for a moment, then let out a bark of humorless laughter that made her flinch. He sounded exactly like Eric.

"You're kidding, right?" he asked. "This is some weird kind of joke that isn't really funny right now but we'll laugh about later on."

"No," she said. "No, Andy, I'm serious."

His eyes narrowed. "This doesn't make sense. Yesterday, you said you loved me. Yesterday, you said you wanted to marry me someday."

"I know," she said, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and standing up. "And I'm sorry, Andy, but we're only 16. We're too young to be making such a huge commitment."

"It wasn't a commitment!" he exclaimed. "I didn't propose or anything. All I was saying was that I want to someday. I didn't mean to scare you off. It's not like you're going to be held to anything. If we get older and you realize you don't want to marry me, then that's fine! But you have to at least stick around for a while and see!"

"I don't_ have_ to anything!" she hissed, his choice of words hitting a nerve. "I don't _have_ to do anything I don't want to do!"

His mouth fell open. "I didn't mean it like that, Clarissa. Of course you don't! I just meant that I _wish_ you would stay. Everything was going great between us. I don't understand why you want leave now."

"I just have to," she muttered, heading for the door.

Once she was out of the room, she stopped, turning back around and peering in through the crack in the door. Andy was still sitting on the bed. She couldn't see his face. But then he turned slightly and she saw his eyes. She gasped, lurching back. They had been filled with the same coldness Eric's had been the previous evening. Never had the two of them looked more alike than in that moment.

She hurried down the hallway, not looking back.

* * *

Andy stood up, feeling angrier than he had in a long time. What the hell had just happened? Why would she break up with him a day after they declared their love for each other for the first time?

He reached for the item that happened to be closest to him—an empty silver candlestick. He hurled it at the mirror that hung on the wall, a strange feeling of satisfaction washing over him as the mirror shattered into pieces. But then he froze. What the hell was wrong with him? He wasn't this kind of person. He wasn't the angry type who broke things to feel better.

A maid came rushing in, having evidently heard the noise. "What happened?" she asked, staring down at the shards of glass on the floor.

"I lost my temper for a moment," Andy mumbled, suddenly feeling ashamed of himself. "I'm sorry for making a mess," he added, as he turned to leave. "I hope it's not too much of a hassle for you to clean up."

"I thought he was the good one," he heard the maid mutter to herself as she stared down at the mess. "Perhaps he's not so different than his brother after all." She obviously thought Andy was out of earshot.

Andy whirled around, ready to tell her to shut up and mind her own business, but then he stopped himself, realizing how much those words sounded like something Eric would say. So he kept his mouth shut and pretended he hadn't heard her. He left the room without a word.

* * *

"You look upset," Eric observed at lunch.

Andy scowled, stabbing at his salmon with his fork. "Clarissa broke up with me," he muttered.

"Did she really?" Eric asked. "Well, you're probably better off without that little slut anyway."

Andy glanced up sharply. "What did you just call her?" he hissed.

"I didn't say anything before because I didn't want to ruin your relationship," Eric said, "but yesterday evening I ran into Clarissa when she was leaving your room. We started chatting and by the end of the conversation she was practically begging me to take her to bed. I didn't, of course, because I wouldn't do that to you, Andy. And now that your relationship is over, I thought you should know the truth about her."

Andy stared at his brother, trying to figure out if he believed him. Eric wasn't always the most honest person around, but why would he lie about Clarissa trying to seduce him? Unless he wasn't lying about that part. Perhaps he was lying about not actually sleeping with her. Since when had Eric cared about respecting anyone else's relationship? If Clarissa really had asked him to sleep with her, Andy wouldn't be surprised if Eric had done so without question. But that was ridiculous. Why would Clarissa do that? She'd always been insistent about saving herself for marriage. If she had changed her mind, why would she had gone to Eric instead of him? She had to know that Andy would have been more than willing to comply.

A horrible thought occurred to him. Perhaps Clarissa had only been with him in the hopes of getting closer to Eric. Maybe she was one of those girls who was desperate to be queen. If Eric really had rejected her advances, it would explain why she had broken up with Andy so suddenly. She finally realized she never really had a chance with Eric after all and there was no point using his brother anymore.

"I'm really sorry, Andy," Eric said. "But there are plenty of other fish in the sea."

* * *

After lunch, Eric went back to the beach. Slipping off his shoes and rolling up the legs of his trousers, he sat down in the sand, letting the waves lick at his feet. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice a girl emerge from the water seemingly from out of nowhere. It wasn't until he finally glanced up a few minutes that he saw her, standing waist deep in the ocean, attempting to cover her naked breasts with her hands. She was looking off in the other direction and didn't seem to notice him.

It was her, he realized. The red-haired mermaid.

"You look like you could use some clothes," he called out, getting to his feet. Apparently the Sea Witch hadn't given her human clothes as part of her transformation.

The girl glanced over in his direction, looking startled. She studied him for a moment and then recognition washed over her face.

"I…I know you," she said.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he lied smoothly. "I would remember someone as beautiful as you."

It was best for him if she didn't know that he knew she was really a mermaid. Besides, it was quite plausible that in his delirious state after nearly drowning, he simply thought he dreamed that a mermaid had rescued him. He doubted she would press the issue too much.

Confusion flashed across her face. "But you were the boy from the…" She trailed off. "Never mind."

He cleared his throat, diverting his attention from her naked body, as if it was actually something that embarrassed him. "So, why exactly is a pretty girl like you out here all alone without any, er…garments?"

She glanced down at herself. "I ran away from home," she said. "I went for a swim in the ocean and I left my clothes right over there by that thing." She pointed toward a tree branch that was lying a few yards away from him. "But they must have blown away or been stolen because now they're gone."

Her nervous expression and stammering made it obvious she was coming up with this lie on the spot, but Eric pretended he didn't notice.

"You ran away from home, huh?" he asked. "Why?"

She shrugged. "I was being stifled there," she said. "I wanted to see the world."

Her tone had changed drastically. She sounded much more confident in her words. Eric assumed that this, unlike her last statement, was not a lie. It must really have been the reason she had chosen to be human.

"Do you have somewhere to stay?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"Well then I insist you stay in my home until you find a place!" he declared.

The girl's eyes widened. "I couldn't do that!" she replied. "I wouldn't want to intrude."

"Nonsense," he said. "It's a big place. We have plenty of extra rooms."

"Where do you live?" she asked.

He pointed toward the castle off in the distance. "Right there."

Her eyes widened. "You're…you're a prince?"

He nodded. "Indeed. Now I insist you accompany me back there right now. I'll find you an old dress of my mother's to wear and you can get cleaned up and fed."

He unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off. "Here," he said, holding it out. "You can wear this until then."

She began walking towards him, slowly and unsteadily, her face turning nearly the same color as her hair as the water grew shallower and more of her naked body became exposed. Eric tried to pretend he didn't notice.

"Thank you," she said, accepting the shirt and quickly putting it on. "You're very kind."

"My name's Eric," he added, watching as she buttoned it. "And you are?"

She glanced up, smiling shyly. "I'm Ariel."

* * *

**So, someone left an anonymous review on the last chapter that seriously pissed me off. I deleted it, but this is what it said: _"OMG Eric is a badass stud. You teach those women whose boss ya big stud."_**

**I'm not sure if the reviewer was trolling or not, but it's an absolutely disgusting, inexcusable comment to make regardless. A man who rapes a woman is not a stud. Ever. A man who rapes a woman is the scum of the earth. If the person who wrote this review was not in fact trolling and does believe that what Eric did was somehow sexy, then I almost feel sorry for them. I'm assuming that reviewer is a girl, and the fact that any girl believes that it is somehow sexy for man to do what he wants to a woman without consent is alarming to me. Men should in no way ever be teaching a women "whose boss." Men are not the boss. They do not get to have their way with a woman just because they want to.**

**Sorry about this rant. I know the rest of you would never leave a review like that, but I really had to say something about it. I was so disgusted when I read it.**

**Anyway, on a more positive note, please review and let me know what you thought of the new chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

Andy lifted an eyebrow as he watched a young, red-haired girl enter through the castle doors, trailing timidly behind Eric and wearing nothing except his button-down shirt.

"Being a little blatant with your conquests now, aren't you, Eric?" he said. "Don't you think parading them half-naked through the grand foyer is a _bit_ much?"

The girl blushed furiously, staring down at her feet. Eric shot Andy a nasty look. "Ariel's not my _conquest_, Andy. I just met her at the beach. She went for a swim and her clothes were stolen. I told her I'd bring her back here and find her a dress to wear."

"How generous of you," Andy replied drily. He was quite certain that Eric's benevolent side would not of come shining through if the person in need had been anyone but a young, beautiful girl.

"I also told her that she could stay here for a little while. She ran away from home and has nowhere to go."

Andy's eyebrows shot up. "How long is little while?"

Eric shrugged. "Does it matter? We've got nothing but space to spare in this place. It's a _castle_, for God's sake."

"I just think that it might raise a few eyebrows, don't you think? A young girl living in the castle with just the two of us. If Mother and Father were here, perhaps it would be different, but…"

"It's not just the two of us," Eric countered. "There are plenty of other people that live here other than us, Andy. Servants are human beings too. And besides, Mother and Father are _never_ home, as you very well know."

Andy couldn't help but note a slight hint of disgust in his brother's final statement. "They're not always gone, Eric. Don't be so dramatic."

"It's often enough to be ridiculous! Father's the king for God's sake. You'd think he'd want to actually be around once and while to rule the kingdom."

"The kingdom has never been more peaceful and prosperous than it is now," Andy said. "He trusts that you can handle things in his place. It's good practice for your future. You'll be a better king because of it."

"Well, I'll certainly make a better king than that old fool!" Eric spat.

Ariel cleared her throat softly. Both boys spun around to look at her. Andy had practically forgotten she was there. He had a feeling that Eric had too, judging by the expression on his face.

"Sorry about that," Eric said, flashing her a charming smile. "Let me just find a servant to help get you cleaned up and dressed. Dinner's at eight. We hope you'll join us." He shot a pointed look at his brother. "Don't we, Andy?"

Andy smiled tightly, pulling open the front door of the castle. "Of course," he said. "Now if you'll both excuse me, I'm going for a walk. See you at dinner."

* * *

Ariel stood in the bedroom the servant had presented to her as her own, mouth agape. It was huge. And the bed—it was the most comfortable looking thing Ariel had ever seen in her life. She walked over to it slowly, still feeling a bit unsteady on her new feet, and ran her hand over the soft fabric of the comforter. She sat down, sinking into the soft mattress, and lay back. She burrowed under the covers and closed her eyes. Dinner wasn't for hours yet; she had time for a nap. It had been a long day and she could use some rest.

She could hardly wrap her mind around the fact that she had actually accomplished the one thing she had wanted to do for as long as she could remember. She had gotten legs. She had become human. It hadn't been as hard as she had expected it to be either. Everyone always talked about how unreasonable Ursula was, how impossible her bargains were. But Ariel couldn't help but think that she had received her legs with ease. Ursula had only asked for one thing in return and said that she was not ready to collect it yet. Though she had been a bit vague, her request had not sounded unreasonable or impossible. She had only asked that, when the time came, Ariel would provide her with some information she needed. Ariel had agreed because she did not think there was anything she could tell Ursula that would really be of any use to her. She was not privy to any vital information about the inner workings of the kingdom just because her father happened to be king. She hadn't read the small print on the contract before reading it; she was too impatient to get her legs. But it probably didn't matter anyway. It most likely only said what Ursula had told her out loud.

Ariel had been surprised that the first person she had run into after coming to shore was the boy she rescued during that storm a few days prior. She had been even more surprised to learn that he was a prince, the heir to the throne of Reissa. It had been rather embarrassing that he had seen her naked body, but he had been so immensely generous by providing her with clothes and a place to stay for as long as she needed. Eric was handsome too, there was no doubt about that. She had sensed some hostility in his voice when he was talking about his father, but everyone had some issues with their parents. She wouldn't hold it against him, at least not until she got more information about their relationship.

It had been odd to her at first that he did not seem to remember that she had rescued him, but then she had realized that he had probably been a bit delirious after nearly drowning and had chalked her up to being nothing more than some sort of dream or hallucination. After all, it was not surprising that someone like him would not be immediately accepting of the existence of mermaids and would invent some other explanation for what he had seen.

As she drifted off to sleep, her thoughts returned to the home she had left behind. She wondered what her father was doing right now, or her sisters. Had they noticed she was gone by now? She felt guilty, knowing how worried they would be when they realized she wasn't coming back. She hoped that they realized she was safe and not dead somewhere. She hoped that they realized that she had gone somewhere she knew she could be happy and that they weren't too upset with her.

She hadn't been able to really say goodbye to any of them, of course. But she had made sure to tell them all she loved them the last time she saw them and gave them each long hugs. Some of her sisters had eyed her strangely and her father had asked her if she wanted something from him, but she was glad she had been able to part ways with everyone in her family on good terms.

Then, in the moment right before sleep washed over her, it was Marsious she saw in her thoughts. And after that it was Marsious she dreamed of.

* * *

"What is this?" Ariel asked uncertainly, staring down at her plate.

"Chicken," Eric replied, as Andy shot him a look that clearly asked one thing—Is this girl an idiot?

"Oh," she said simply.

It was clear to Eric that she had no idea what chicken was, but had realized that asking would raise suspicions. Though from the look on Andy's face, she already had.

"Do they not have chicken where you're from?" Andy asked, the edge of his lip curling up into a smirk.

Eric kicked him under the table. "Don't be a jackass, Andy. It doesn't suit you."

Andy glared at him. "My apologies," he snapped. "I didn't realize that you had the monopoly on being the jackass in this family."

"Andy just got dumped," Eric explained to Ariel. "That's why he's in such an unpleasant mood. He's normally not like this. He's actually a very nice person, almost too nice really. He makes the rest of us look bad."

"Believe me, Eric," Andy replied sourly. "You make yourself look bad without any help from me."

Eric's eyes narrowed as he watched his brother down his glass of wine in one large gulp. "You should go easy with that, Andy. You remember what happened last year, don't you? After Mariah died? Imagine if that had gotten out. If the public had found out the king's 15-year-old son had a drinking problem. I doubt the fact that you're 16 now would make it any less scandalous.

"At least I actually showed some emotion after losing my sister!" Andy hissed. "You didn't even cry during the funeral!"

"I never cry," Eric replied calmly. "That doesn't mean anything. Mariah's death was quite tragic, Andy. But she was sick her whole life. We all knew it was coming."

"She was your twin, Eric! She was your twin and you don't miss her at all!"

Eric glanced over at Ariel. She was looking back and forth between them, her eyes wide. He needed to make sure that when this conversation ended, she did not think poorly of him.

"Of course I miss her, Andy," he replied softly, hoping he sounded sincere. "Don't be ridiculous. I miss her every day. Now don't you think it's time we changed the subject? I think we're scaring poor Ariel."

Andy gave Ariel a strained smile. "I'm sorry about that," he said. "That was clearly not the kind of thing we should have been discussing in front of a guest."

"It's fine," she said. "All families have their issues."

"Speaking of families," Andy said, "where exactly is _your_ family? Eric mentioned that you ran away from home, but he didn't say why."

"It's a long story," Ariel replied vaguely. "I doubt you'd find it very interesting."

Eric thought that perhaps that it would have been smarter if Ariel had come up with some sort of plausible life story before becoming human. Honestly, did it not occur to her that people might ask these kinds of questions? Stupid girl.

"Don't pry, Andy," he said. "It's not polite. I'm sure that whatever caused her to run away was quite traumatizing."

"Yes," Ariel murmured. "Very traumatizing indeed."

Andy was still eying Ariel suspiciously, but he didn't ask any more questions.

* * *

"Sorry about that little argument Andy and I had at dinner," Eric said.

He had walked Ariel back to her bedroom after dinner and the two of them were standing outside her doorway.

"He really is a good person," he continued. "He just has some issues that he's trying to sort through right now. He'll lighten up once he gets over that little girlfriend of his."

"It's fine," Ariel said. "Really."

She was telling the truth. Yes, Eric and Andy's little outburst at dinner had surprised her, but like she had said, all families had their issues.

"I'm glad," Eric said, smiling at her.

She smiled back. He was so, so handsome. She could probably get lost in beautiful blue eyes if she gazed into them long enough.

"Well, goodnight," she murmured, stifling a yawn. It had been such a long day.

"Goodnight, Ariel," Eric replied, leaning in and pressing a kiss against her cheek. "And sweet dreams," he added, his breath warm against her face.

She felt a bit dazed as she fumbled with her doorknob and stumbled inside. Perhaps Eric would be the boy who helped her forget about Marsious.

* * *

Eric lay in his bed, feeling extremely pleased with himself. Everything was going perfectly according to plan. He'd seen the look on Ariel's face as she had closed her bedroom door. She was already enamored with him. Soon, he would practically have her eating out the palm of his hand. And after he got her to marry him, the Sea Witch would come and take what he needed. After that, he'd be practically unstoppable. In a few years, he would have proved the existence of merpeople to the world and gained control of their undersea kingdom. He would be hailed as the greatest king the kingdom of Reissa had ever seen.

Marrying Ariel wasn't necessary to successfully completing this little plan of his, but he figured it couldn't hurt. He was the future king after all. He needed a wife and an heir, and what could be more impressive than marrying a mermaid. He would be the first known human to do so and it would only further solidify his place in the history books.

He smiled smugly as he drifted off to sleep. Tomorrow, he would further woo Ariel. But for now, he would get some much deserved rest.

* * *

**So, just so you know, we're not going to hear from Marsious for quite some time. What he's up to is top secret! **

**Thanks for reading and please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

Ariel stood at the edge of the ocean, letting the water wash over her newly-acquired feet. It was such a strange sensation, feeling the sand in between her toes, but she quite liked it.

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" she heard a voice say from somewhere behind her.

She quickly spun around, nearly losing her balance in the process. Eric's brother, Andy, was standing a few feet away, smiling sheepishly at her.

"Oh," she said warily. "Yes, I suppose it is."

She wasn't sure what to think of Andy yet. Eric had insisted that his brother was a kind person, but he had been rather rude during both of their encounters the day before.

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday," Andy said. "I'm not normally like that. Like Eric said, I got, er…_dumped_."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Ariel said. "You must have really loved her."

He nodded. "I did…I _do_."

He took a few steps closer and sat down, patting the space beside him. She sat down next to him, hoping that the water and sand didn't ruin her dress.

"Andy," she said uncertainly, "I don't mean to pry and it's fine if you don't want to talk about it, but I know that you and Eric were talking about your deceased sister at dinner last night. I was merely wondering what happened to her."

"Mariah was Eric's twin sister," Andy said, staring out toward the horizon. "She was born with a many physical and mental disabilities. She was also very sickly and was basically bed-ridden her entire life."

"How horrible," Ariel murmured.

"The most horrific part was that it was almost like my parents were ashamed of her or something."

Ariel noted the same bitterness in his tone that had been present when Eric had talked about his parents. It seemed the king and queen of Reissa were not about to be nominated as parents of the year by their two sons anytime soon. Not that she could blame Andy and Eric for their resentment. From what she had gathered, their parents were hardly ever around. The thought saddened her. Although her father had done many things to annoy and anger over the years, at least he had always been there when she needed him.

"The kingdom didn't even know she existed," Andy continued. "They hid her away from the moment she was born and pretended that Eric was their only child until I came along three years later."

Ariel could do nothing more than shake her head in disbelief.

"My parents aren't bad people, Ariel," Andy said quickly, as if he suddenly felt guilty for the things he'd said. "They did love Mariah. I just don't think they handled her situation correctly."

"I should say not," Ariel agreed.

* * *

Andy hadn't talked about Mariah in a long time. After she had died, it was almost like she had never existed. Neither his parents nor Eric ever mentioned her, so Andy did not either. It was strange to be sitting here, telling this girl he barely knew about her. He'd never even told Clarissa about his sister. Mariah had still been alive when he and Clarissa had begun their relationship, but he had never mentioned that she existed. He wasn't even sure why. It was almost if he had grown so accustomed to her being some kind of dirty secret that it hadn't even occurred to him that he _could _mention her. Even after Mariah died, he still didn't tell Clarissa what he was so upset about.

As he and Ariel sat in silence, his mind drifted to a memory he had tried not to think about since it had happened the year before.

_"Eric!" Mariah squealed gleefully, stretching her arms out toward her twin brother. _

_It was Mariah's bedtime and, because their parents were once again traveling and her nurse had the flu, Andy had insisted that Eric help him tuck her in and say goodnight. _

_Eric walked over to her bedside and crouched down. "Mariah, you need to go to sleep," he murmured. _

_She shook her head, reaching out and grabbing a chunk of his hair. Andy winced. He'd been on the receiving end of Mariah's hair-pulling many times before. The girl was surprisingly strong._

_"Jesus, Mariah!" Eric yelped, slapping her hand away. "Don't do that."_

_She stared up at him in shock, lip quivering, looking as if she might burst into tears at any moment._

_Eric sighed. "Sorry," he muttered. _

_A single tear rolled down her cheek._

_Eric stood up, perching himself on the edge of her bed. "Come on, M," he said. "Don't cry. I said I was sorry, didn't I?_

_She pointed to a book sitting on her night stand, looking at him expectedly. _

_Eric groaned. "You want me to read to you?"_

_She nodded enthusiastically, all traces of tears gone. _

_Eric glanced over to where Andy was standing. "Can you read to her instead?" he asked. "I have some things I need to take care of before I go to bed." _

_Andy shook his head. "She wants you to read to her, Eric. I'm sure whatever maid you're planning on bedding tonight can wait."_

_Eric sighed again, picking up the book and opening it. "All right," he began, clearing his throat. "Once upon a time, there lived a girl named Cinderella." He paused, glancing back up. "This is a fairytale, Andy. Don't make me sit here and read a goddamn fairytale." _

_Andy couldn't help but think that Eric didn't really have any room to talk. He was the one who was obsessed with mermaids, after all._

_"Just read the story, Eric."_

_Andy watched silently as his brother read their sister the fairytale. If his plan had been to make her fall asleep while he was reading, he was failing miserably. She stayed wide awake the entire time, shrieking with delight over the fact that Eric did a different voice for each character. It always surprised Andy to see how good Eric was with Mariah. Most of the time he was cold and distant and hardly bothered with her (or anyone), but on the rare occasion arose when the two of them interacted for an extended period of time, he always managed to leave her at her most cheerful. Andy loved his sister, but he always felt awkward around her, not sure how behave. But Eric was so natural around her. Perhaps it was a twin thing._

_Eric closed the book, standing up to leave. Mariah grabbed his wrist. "No!" she cried. "Stay!"_

_Eric groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. But to Andy's surprise, he sat back down. "Mariah," he said, "I have to go sleep in my own bed."_

_She shook her head. "No," she said simply._

_"Yes."_

_"No."_

_"Fine," he sighed, laying down beside her. "But don't hog all the covers, yeah?"_

_She clapped her hands in delight, rolling over and resting her head on his chest. It was strange to think that they were the same age—both 18 years old. Mariah looked so small and frail compared to him, like a little girl. Eric smoothed his hand over her long, black hair._

_"Her hair's a ratty mess," he muttered. "You'd think that damn nurse of hers could at least brush it."_

_"Eric, she stays in bed almost all day," Andy said. "It's not that big of a deal. I'm sure the nurse has more important things to take care of."_

_"Well, considering all the money we pay her, you'd think she could manage to find the time."_

_Andy rolled his eyes. "Goodnight, Eric. Goodnight, Mariah." With that, he turned and exited the room._

_Later the night, he was shaken awake. His opened his eyes. As they slowly adjusted to the light, he could see that it was Eric standing next to his bed, staring down at him._

_"What's the matter?" he asked, sitting up. "What's going on?"_

_"She's dead," Eric said quietly. "Mariah's dead."_

_Andy's heart felt as if it had dropped into his stomach. "What?" was all he managed to get out._

_"I woke up and noticed she wasn't moving…or breathing. I checked her pulse and there was nothing, Andy. She was stiff and cold. She's dead, I'm sure of it."_

_Andy scrambled out of bed, frantically pulling on his robe and slippers. "How is this possible?" he cried. "She's been doing so well recently. She seemed so happy when you were reading to her!"_

_"I don't know!" Eric replied, sounding exasperated. "Do I look like a doctor?"_

_They both rushed down the hallway and into Mariah's room. Andy's breath caught in his throat as he stared down at the body of big sister. She looked small in death, even more frail than she had in life. Tears began to well up in his eyes as he knelt down beside her bed, taking her icy hand in his own. He glanced back at Eric, who was still standing across the room, hovering near the doorway. His eyes were dry and his expression blank. It was disconcerting, seeing how little he seemed to be reacting to his own sister's death. _

_"I'll go alert the servants and send a messenger to fetch Mother and Father," Eric said suddenly. _

_His voice was matter-of-fact, as if he dealt with the deaths of family members on a daily basis. Andy felt sick to his stomach. _

_He turned back to his sister, thinking about how much she had adored her twin brother. It was a strange thing, a human being's ability to love someone without ever receiving their love in return._

* * *

_Tap. Tap. Tap_.

Clarissa sat up, pushing the covers aside and hopping out of bed. It was only early afternoon, but she'd spent most of her time in bed these past few days. She crossed the room hurriedly. There was only one person who ever knocked on her window—Andy. But what was he doing here?

She opened the window and watched as he climbed inside, her hands on her hips. "I thought I made it clear that—"

"I need to talk to you," he cut her off, his eyes blazing with an intensity that she had never seen before.

She took a step backwards, trying to put as much space as she could between the two of them. "Fine. Go ahead."

"I just want to know if any of it was true," he demanded, his eyes smoldering. "When you kissed me, when you told me you loved me—was any of it real? Or was it all some elaborate plot to get closer to Eric, to the future king?"

"To get closer to Eric?" she exclaimed, caught off guard. "Where in the world did you get an idea like that?"

"He told me what happened. He told me that you propositioned him the night before we ended things, right after we had professed our love for each other."

Clarissa felt sick to her stomach. Was everything that awful boy had done to her not enough? He had to spread false rumors about her to top it all off? "So did you tell you whether he complied with my request?" she managed to ask, wondering just how far Eric had taken these lies of his.

"He said that he didn't," Andy replied. "But I have no idea if he's telling the truth. For all I know, the two of you did sleep together."

"Eric's not telling the truth about any of this!" she cried. "I didn't proposition him and I certainly didn't sleep with him!"

She wished she could tell him the truth, explain to him what had actually happened. But she was too afraid. She'd heard plenty of stories about women who had tried to accuse men of rape. Things never ended in their favor, especially when it was a rich and powerful man like Eric. They were too often shamed and ostracized, and their attacker always walked away scot-free.

"Well, then I know you must be hiding something else from me," Andy said. "Because it doesn't make sense for you to end things with me less than 24 hours after telling me you loved me and wanted to marry me someday. Something has got to be going on and I really wish you would tell me what it is!"

Clarissa shrugged helplessly. "I can't."

"You don't have to hide things from me," he whispered. "You can tell me anything, Lissa."

"Can I?" she asked. "Because you certainly keep things from me."

He opened his mouth as if to protest, but then it looked as if he remembered something—a secret he'd kept from her—and he shut it again.

She remembered the time last year, when he'd come climbing in her window, his eyes red from crying and his breath stinking of booze. She urged him to tell her what had happened, but he'd refused. He simply kissed her with more hunger than he ever had before. They'd been together for a year at that point, but he'd been away at school for most of that time. The extent of what they'd done together had only added up to a few innocent kisses. But this was different. This was all heavy breathing and tangled tongues and desperate hands. He never told her what had happened to upset him so terribly, but he drunk a lot that summer. Then he'd returned to school and when he'd come back home last Christmas, he seemed perfectly fine—sober and happy. Neither of them had ever mentioned what had happened during that summer again.

"This is ridiculous," Andy muttered, bringing her back to the present.

He took a few steps forward, closing the gap between them. In a second, his lips were on hers and she was not surprised to taste a slight hint of alcohol on his lips. He kissed her with the same desperation as he had on that day last summer. Only this time, _she_ was the one keeping a secret from him. How damaged they both were, she thought. How strange human beings were, keeping the most important things from the ones they loved, knowing it would ruin things between them, but doing it anyway.

For a moment, she kissed him back, too caught up in her love for him to remember what had happened to her. But then it all came flashing back, the fear and the pain and the heaviness she could not push off. She stiffened, her hands moving to Andy's chest. She shoved him away. "Stop," she hissed. "This is not going to happen anymore. We're done." She paused. "We're done," she repeated, as if telling herself this time.

"But I don't want it to be over," he murmured. "I want you, Lissa. Forever."

She stared at him. "You want me even though you think there's a possibility I slept with your brother?"

He shrugged. "I don't care about that," he said. "I just care about you."

Clarissa didn't know what to think. All her life, she had been taught that a girl had nothing more important to offer than her virginity. It was a precious gift that had to be saved for the right boy at the right time (her wedding night). If given away sooner, especially to a different boy, then she was immediately damaged beyond repair. No respectable man would ever want her as a wife. But what Andy was saying went against all that. He wasn't looking at her like she was damaged. He still wanted her, no matter what he thought she'd done.

"You need to leave," she muttered, feeling slightly dizzy. "Now."

He nodded once, his expression strangely blank. "Fine."

She watched as he climbed back out her window and disappeared. Tears began to well up in her eyes. Then her sadness was replaced by anger, an overwhelming anger toward Eric for what he had done. He'd scarred her, ruined her. The thought of being touched by anyone made her cringe. She even avoided her own parents' hugs. How could she ever trust anyone again?

* * *

Andy weaved his way through the streets of town. He didn't know where he was going. He had no destination in mind. All he wanted to do was get his mind off everything—especially _her_.

"Hello, Andy," he heard a voice purr.

He spun around. Virginia Ashworth was standing outside a dress shop, smiling at him. Her blonde hair hung in ringlets around her face, covered with a lacy bonnet. In one hand, she held a hat box. In the other, a pink parasol.

Andy had known Virginia his whole life. Her father, General Ashworth, was one of the highest-ranking officers in his father's army. He'd always known she had a crush on him; it had been evident since they were five years old and she had kissed him under the huge pear tree on the castle grounds. She'd never particularly tried to hide it.

"Hello, Ginny," he said. "It's good to see you again. How have you been?"

"Well, better now that you're here. You're hardly ever home, Andrew," she scolded.

She moved closer to him, her steps slow and deliberate.

"Well, I've been at school," he said. "I don't really have much choice in the matter."

"But don't you miss me when you're away?" she asked.

"Of course," he lied swiftly. In truth, the two of them hadn't been close for several years. He liked her well enough, but she was a bit of a headache to deal with in large doses.

A clerk emerged from the shop, holding several more boxes. "Here are the rest of your things, Miss Ashworth. Shall I take them to your carriage for you?"

Virginia smiled. "I don't have a carriage actually. My parents commandeered both of ours for today." She shot a meaningful look at Andy. "I'm afraid I'm just going to carry all these boxes back to my house by myself."

"Nonsense," Andy said. "I'll help you."

Her smile widened. "You're a darling, Andy," she said, handing him her hat box and motioning for the clerk to hand over the rest of the boxes to him as well.

Virginia Ashworth was the only girl Andy could think of who'd so comfortably guilt a prince into acting as her own personal pack mule.

"There we go," she said, clapping her hands together as Andy struggled to maintain his grip on the many boxes. She opened her pink parasol, even though the sun was almost entirely blocked by clouds, and began to walk away. Andy followed her, carefully peering around the stack in his arms. It was lucky the Ashworth's home was only a few blocks away or he wasn't sure if he could have made it.

"Thank you so much, Andy," Virginia said, as they entered through the front door. A servant reached out for the boxes and Andy parted with them very willingly. "You're living proof that chivalry isn't dead."

Andy chuckled. "It was nothing, Ginny."

She leaned it, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Nonetheless," she murmured, "thank you."

The next thing that Andy did made him feel more like Eric than he normally cared to. He surreptitiously wiped away any of Clarissa's lipstick that might still be on his mouth and pressed his lips against Virginia's. She kissed him back for a minute or two before pulling away.

"Timothy Dewitt has been courting me for the past few months," she murmured. "My parents want me to marry him."

"Yeah, well, Timothy Dewitt isn't a prince, is he?" Andy replied, lifting an eyebrow.

"You make a very convincing argument, I must admit," Virginia said, leaning into kiss him again.

The kiss was innocent and chaste, and when he tried to deepen it, Virginia pulled away.

"I'll see you later, Andy," she said, smiling sweetly at him.

As Andy turned to leave, he wondered what he had gotten himself into.

* * *

Eric raised his hand, giving two short knocks on Ariel's bedroom door. A moment later the door swung open and the former mermaid herself smiled up at him.

"Eric," she said, "what are you doing here?"

"I apologize for bothering you," he said. "But I wondered if I might have word?"

"Of course," she said, opening the door wider and allowing him to step inside.

"I was thinking," he began, "that we should have a ball here, in your honor."

"That's unnecessary," Ariel replied. "It's a very kind offer, but I'm going to have to decline."

"Don't you like to dance?" he asked. He wasn't sure if mermaids even danced at all. They didn't have legs, after all.

She shook her head. "Not particularly. Besides, the dances where I come from are different than the dances here."

"How different could they be?" he exclaimed. "Come on, Ariel. I insist."

"Fine," she said with a sigh, "but only on one condition."

"And what's that?"

"You teach me how to dance first."

"It would be my pleasure," he replied. He took her hand in his, and lifting to his mouth, pressed a light kiss against her knuckles.

Her face grew red. "Thank you," she muttered.

"So what have you been up to today?" he asked.

"I had a lovely conversation with Andy today. You were right, he's a very nice boy."

"What did you talk about?" Eric asked, opening he didn't sound too curious.

She hesitated. "Your sister," she said after a moment. "It's very tragic what happened to her. I expect you miss her a lot."

"Yes," Eric murmured. "I do."

Eric had, in all honesty, been quite fond of his twin sister. But to say he missed her was a lie. He didn't see the point. Human beings spent an appalling amount of time mourning their dead loved ones. It was such an utter waste of time when there were better things to be doing. When someone was gone, they were gone. There was no use crying over spilled milk, just as there was no use crying over dead family or friends. Neither were coming back. Love, he couldn't help but think, was nothing but a nuisance and a weakness. It turned normally strong, intelligent people into blithering idiots. He's seen what happened to Andy after Mariah had died, and again when Clarissa had ended things between them. He'd been a mess. It was disturbing. Eric could say with complete honesty—though he never actually would—that there was nobody on this earth that he loved. There were people he was fond of, like Andy and Mariah, and people he tolerated, but there was nobody he loved. He would never be weak like the rest of the world.

He would never fall in love.

* * *

**I gotta admit, I really like Virginia Ashworth so far, you guys. She's got hustle and I admire that.**

**Also, just a little explanation for the flashback: I was trying to show one of the many reasons that Andy hasn't realized the extent of Eric's dark side. It's obvious that he knows his brother is a bit of a jerk, but he still somewhat trusts him/looks up to him because of things like this flashback. Eric isn't evil to everyone. He was nice to Mariah (at least by his standards) and that's why Andy still thinks he has some good inside him.**

**Please review!**


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